Fearful Symmetry
by Michael Ransom
Summary: A continuation of the events from Tyger, Tyger a few years in the future. Something is wrong with Selina Kyle, and Batman and Batgirl turn to an unlikely ally for help. At the same time, something is happening on Dr Dorian's island. Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

"Fearful Symmetry"

**Chapter 1**

The woman cursed herself as she kicked open the doorway to the roof and sprinted for the building's edge. Dressed in a black jumpsuit and mask, she bound over the alley to the concrete top of a hotel ten feet below. She rolled to land, and in one fluid motion continued her dash across the Gotham skyline.

The prize she had obtained from her target building clung secure to her waist, but that gave her little comfort. She'd chosen this job entirely because she wanted to prove she could still pull off a flawless heist against a top notch security system. It had gone off cleanly, almost flawlessly, to the point that she had gotten cocky and had absent mindedly tripped a door alarm as she was nearly out. Now she had to abandon her planned route of escape and depend on her knowledge of the Gotham rooftops to create one from scratch.

Still, the rush she felt as she quickly scaled a wall to get to higher ground was strangely familiar, a feeling from when she was an amateur thief, pulling jobs off by the skin of her teeth, police lights following…a small smile crept across her face, she hadn't had this much fun in years!

The sound of sirens brought her mind to focus. She wasn't sure if they were following her, but they were close. There was no where to hide, she had to keep moving.

Selina Kyle, Catwoman, approached a particularly wide gulf between buildings and without stopping eyeballed the distance she'd have to leap to make it. She was rigorous in gauging her physical limits, and knew exactly how far and how high she could leap, how long she could run without getting tired, even how long she could hold her breath. Still in full sprint, she made the split second decision to go for it.

This was going to be close.

She lengthened her strides as she approached the edge, planted her left foot and launched herself across the alley. If she cut it short, she might have to grasp the edge of the roof to pull her across. Fortunately, she saw that wouldn't be necessary, as she cleared the edge…by five extra feet?

Selina landed safely in a crouching position, and stopped to get a hold of herself. How had she jumped that far? The blaring sound of sirens told her to consider these questions later.

It turned out that she had escaped unspotted, and the sirens died down as the units continued toward the call of the alarm. A few more minutes of running and she safely climbed into her apartment window. She shut the window (at least as far as the dead wood window frame would shut), and pulled back her signature cat-eared mask. Her gloved fingers ran through her short, dyed-raven black hair as she considered the night's work. She turned and looked out the window as she casually unhitched the pack from her belt and tossed it on her bed.

It hadn't gone as she planned, but she felt an aura of satisfaction nonetheless. Over the past year since she left Gotham, she'd lived off of easy money, jobs where the security was low and the payoff was high. She'd taken the more practical route, with less risk, away from a certain flying rodent's reach. She had come back to see if she still had the edge. Carelessness aside, she had passed her personal test. In fact she seemed sharper than ever…

That thought brought her mind to the Olympic quality jump from earlier. It was possible that all the adrenaline might have allowed her to exceed her limits temporarily, but not by _that_ much. By her calculations, she had just smashed the men's world record for the long jump. Something wasn't right; she must have misjudged the length of the gap.

Come to think of it though, all that exercise hadn't even winded her. She should have been pushing her limits, but the whole experience had been…easy. What did it mean? She needed to sit down and think.

She took a seat on the ragged yellow mattress in her room, but thinking was difficult. The sounds from the creaky old complex were unusually loud. The boards of the building sighed like they were snoring; the sink in the bathroom dripped constantly, and noise of the late night traffic in the streets poured through the window with crystal clarity. On top of this, the smells of musty building were making her nauseous. She could practically taste the decaying wood, the rampant mildew, even the hanging scent of her own sweat that had built up in her suit. The overload of sensations she was feeling made her head spin.

She grabbed her head and covered her ears, trying to drown out the noise, but the sensuous rush she felt was overwhelming her. Feeling dizzy, she laid down on the bed. The flood of sound and smell merely increased. Even more confusing, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu, like she had felt this before…

Even more input. Rats crawled through the walls, their scurrying sounded like nails against a chalkboard. The stench of their feces seeped through the floor. Her own heart seemed to beat like an incessant drum in her chest. Finally, in a moment of mercy, the stress overloaded her mind, and she passed out...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Selina awoke to the sound of midday traffic outside of her window. She turned her head gingerly while still lying in bed. What had happened? Slowly she remembered the previous night's excitement. The sensory rush that had assaulted her the night before seemed to have subsided…

She casually turned her head the other way to look at the old digital clock on the "nightstand" of concrete blocks next to the bed. The red numbers read out 11:45. That was enough to get her up quickly. She rolled out and rushed to the bathroom.

* * *

"He went this way Smith" 

Two men moved quickly through the jungle foliage. They were dressed from head to toe in black body armor, and each carried a tranquilizer rifle. As they came to a clearing, they slowed their pace until they came to a stop. After scanning their surroundings for a full minute, they lowered their guns. One lifted his helmet visor.

"We've lost him."

The other sighed, "Along with the subjects he released. Between you and me, I'm $#&# glad they chose to run."

Smith smiled, "You scared Ross? You're losing your touch."

"Maybe if we weren't spread so thin, and had a little more firepower than these $ #&# dart guns I'd be less pessimistic."

"You know the reasons, we're expendable. They aren't."

"We ain't paid enough," he said gruffly. And with that, Ross pulled a radio from his belt and signaled they were heading back to base.

As they disappeared from sight, a shadowy figure amidst the tree branches silently bounded into the darkness of the jungle night.

* * *

Batgirl lowered her binoculars. She'd taken over watching Catwoman earlier that morning while Bruce Wayne attended a stockholders meeting. It was a boring endeavor, and she was not entirely sure if she agreed with Batman's decision to wait and see what Selina did with the goods rather than take her down now. Sure they might get in on who she was fencing it too, but that was risky. It just gave Selina more of an opportunity to get away. Maybe that was what he was hoping, given the history between those two… 

Calm down girl, she thought to herself. She was beginning to think more like a jealous girlfriend than a crime fighter. Still, they could have at least told Commissioner Gordon.

Barbara's subject of observation came out of the front entrance of the building. Even knowing it was her, she had to admit the "trailer trash" outfit she was wearing hid her true identity well. The faded knee length striped socks, old ripped Pinky and the Brain t-shirt and ragged wig made her look nothing like the woman who routinely socialized in the most luxurious (and easily pick-pocketed) groups in the world. Her whole set up had been well executed, renting a run down apartment where people don't ask questions about where you came from, faking a retreat to Hong Kong, all quite ingeniously done. But she'd underestimated just how well Batman knew her. Even if the police couldn't, Batman knew her work when he saw it, and he recognized that break-in had her signature the second they arrived on the scene. He was able to track her path that very night.

She stayed well behind for several blocks as Selina turned further into the bad area of town. Interesting that the deal was going down in broad daylight, she thought. After several blocks, she turned into a dark alley. What, was she pawning it off to some bum?

Smoothly sliding down a fire escape and darting across the street, Barbara pressed her back against a wall near the alley entrance and listened. Nothing. She crept closer, and pulling a mirror from her utility belt cautiously checked around the corner. There was no one there. Surprised, she slinked into the dark corridor and looked left and right. Catwoman had disappeared. But how? This was a dead end…

A breeze of intuition caused her to look up-just in time to react. She quickly rolled away as Catwoman's ambush from above missed. Barbra knew she was in trouble; Catwoman was always more than a match for her hand to hand. Even worse, she seemed to be fighting with almost reckless abandon. It was more Selina's style to play with her (like a cat playing with its food, she'd say) and look for a chance to escape. But here, she seemed determined to actually hurt her, or worse.

Batgirl blocked a swing to the head, and then followed it with a kick to the ribs, knocking Catwoman off her feet and onto her back. Selina bounced up, wearing an expression of pure rage. She sprung at Barbara, letting out a shriek that sounded positively inhuman. Her animal mannerism shocked Barbra briefly enough to break her defensive concentration. Suddenly, Selina had Batgirl pinned to the dank alley concrete, both hands strangling her neck. A well placed kick to the gut of Catwoman freed her however, and she rolled away, clutching her neck, gasping for air.

As she turned to see her opponent, she could hardly believe it was really Selina. She was crouched almost on all fours, her teeth born and face tensed into an absolutely demonic looking visage. She seemed ready to pounce, but something else caught her attention, and she darted away just as a spinning bola struck the concrete. She turned and leapt at a shadowy figure in the dark of the alley, only to have her swinging arms caught in mid air.

"Selina! Snap out of it!"

His voice seemed to break through the rage, and she gradually relaxed her expression, only to snap her arms out of his grasp and dash toward the alley entrance. Her escape was tripped up by the sweeping leg of Batgirl, however. She slammed her skull against the pavement, and immediately clutched both ears. She began to writhe in pain, then fell silent as the figure emerged into the light next to his partner.

"She's passed out; we need to get her to a hospital!"

"We'll take her to the cave."

"Are you su-"

"Yes"

The Batman took Selina in his arms.

"I see you broke for lunch early BTW."

His piercing glare silenced her.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Where am I?

This pain…my neck? It's killing me. I can't see. Can't remember…

Somebody's talking.

"I've wrapped the wound. I'm afraid I can't do anything more. The wounds are too serious, even if he hadn't loss so much blood." Oh Lord, is he talking about me? Am I going to die?

"I didn't know what I was doing…I saw him attacking Dorothy and…it was like, my body just acted on its own." Another voice, he sounds scared. I remember searching, yes, we found something…did he attack me?

Now a _third_ guy is speaking, his voice is much deeper than the other two. "You were defending your mate. You have no reason to feel shame."

"Paul, you did what you had to do," Huh? This is a woman's voice. "I would have done the same, you know that."

What did I do? Are they talking about me or not? Is anyone else here with me? I can't see, I can't remember.

What am I doing here, why did I come? I can't remember. Oh God help me, I can't remember.

I'm muttering something. I can talk. Barely. "M'aye…m'aye gunna i?"

A few seconds…no answer. I'm saying it again; hit hurts to blurt it out, I'm trying to move, but a hand steadies me. Someone's next to me, with a hand on my chest.

"Easy now, just relax." It's the woman.

"I goin i?"

She's hesitating, now she answers, "Yes dear, it looks that way. I'm sorry."

Her voice relaxes me. Somehow I feel better. Her hand is beneath my head. Her touch feels odd. It doesn't feel like a hand in some ways. More like…yeah, that's who it is. I'm recalling things.

She's talking to me now, asking me if I've made peace with God. I think I hear something huff in the background. Oh God…I'm dying. It's hitting me, I going to die! She's got her other hand in mine, she's whispering, praying something. She says grip her hand if I believe. What the heck is this? Do I?

After a second I grasp it. It's soft, velvety even, but her grip is like a vice.

Her voice seems happy. I can barely hear her now, everything is fading out…

It's over.

* * *

Barbara pushed open the massive doors to Wayne Manor's front entrance, and sauntered in, wearing a modest black skirt with sleeveless top, and a tote bag over her shoulder. She called out to Alfred, and heard him shout out a reply, "In the living room Madam!" She walked down the hall, and stopped to stand in the doorway, where she saw Alfred, hard at work as usual, reaching above the fireplace to dust a frame guarding Thomas and Martha Wayne's portrait. He turned to see her and smiled broadly. 

"Barbara! A pleasure to see you! How is the library?"

"I had to kick out a couple of homeless people, nothing unusual I'm afraid." She said drearily as she entered the room. "How's Bruce? Any change on Selina?"

Alfred's face turned grave. He continued his work as he spoke. "He still has not come up from that dreadful cave since you brought Miss Kyle in from the rain. She is still unconscious…and though there has been a great deal of change in her condition, I am afraid it is not for the better."

He picked up an unused tea set. "Bruce is as obsessed as I have ever seen him. He has not taken a moment's rest for three days, no matter how much I have implored him. If he cannot save Selina…I genuinely fear for his mind." Alfred said looking down.

"Barbara," he said, glancing up, "I do not know what you could do to help him, but if you have any ideas, please try."

She nodded, "I will. Bruce is fortunate to have a friend like you."

She pulled the grandfather clock handle and opened the way to the shadowy flight of stairs. Her tote over her shoulder she began her descent. As she did so, her thoughts recounted the events of the last few days. After they had brought her home, Bruce had quickly figured out that her condition was actually stemming from a previous adventure he and Selina had had, before Barbara had "joined the team" or had even made her Batgirl costume.

She had known of the case of Kirk Langstrom, whose experiments into bats had turned him into a horrible Man-Bat creature. But he only one of a host of Dr. Moreau wannabes Batman had run into. One, Dr. Emile Dorian, had spent twenty years developing his "perfect" specimen. Only instead of bats, Dorian had a thing for cats. He'd made a "man-cat" and wanted a suitable mate for his pet. Apparently, he thought Catwoman, being a fan of felines herself, would be receptive to the prospect of being transformed into one of his creatures. He kidnapped her, and by the time Batman tracked her down, Dorian had already started his treatments, with the desired affects. Batman defeated Dorian and obtained the antidote, but now it seemed that the mutation was somehow reasserting itself.

Batman had some of the original cure left over, and had administered it immediately. But it only seemed to exacerbate her condition. He'd spent day and night researching leads by computer, calling in friends, experimenting on possible cures, and all the while Selina remained unconscious, slowly taking on the features of a monster.

She finally reached the end of the stairs and found Bruce, still in costume but with mask pulled back, sitting intently before his massive computer moniter, three separate windows up at once. One seemed to be analyzing a tissue simple, another showed Selina's vitals, and still another showed a news article of some kind. He was quickly scrolling through it. Selina herself was on an operating table, covered in a white sheet except for her head. Even from a distance Barbara could confirm Alfred's diagnosis.

"Batgirl, you're back, good," he said without turning his head. "Here's the news: Langstrom finally emailed me from his conference in Taiwan, but his data was old and useless. Dorian's work is remarkably similar to his but different in several key areas. It's those areas that seem to be the problem." He took a swig of cold coffee and continued, "I finally found an answer to what happened to Dorian at Arkham. According to a former intern, he ticked off the Joker. They decided to cover up the mess and just have him disappear. Not an uncommon thing. So another dead end…" He suddenly turned his head, "Are you ok?"

Barbara was staring at him. He wore a heavy shadow, and his face looked more strained and fatigued than she could remember. But he still effused the same cool, stoic demeanor.

"Yes, what about Dorian's research? I thought the government seized his work, had that Dr. Milo working on it as part of Cadmus?"

Batman turned back the computer, "Milo is also dead…long story…but he didn't achieve the results Cadmus wanted, and they cut him off. After that the research was either destroyed or buried so deep even I can't find it.

Barbara sighed and dropped her tote bag to the floor, "What about Amanda Waller? Aren't you guys sort of…friends? She might know something."

Batman seemed to stop working, but stared straight ahead, "It's…less like friendship as much as grudging respect based on mutual blackmail. She knows my identity, I know enough about her illegal activities to put her away for life. She certainly wouldn't help me get any _more_ dirt on her unless I have something _big_ to offer."

Embarrassed, Barbara tried to change the subject, "What are you reading now?"

Batman replied, "Reports of robberies in the last month over the New York/New Jersey area. There was one in a University Med lab two days ago."

"Well, at least that last one wasn't Selina," Barbara said, slightly puzzled. "Why…wait, you think these _she's_ the one who…"

"Fits her _modi operandi_," interrupted Batman. "This, by the way, is why I'm glad to see you. I need to stay and work here, you need to go and-"

"What _you_ need is to rest!" Barbara blurted out. Real smooth, she thought to herself. But there was no stopping now. "You're driving yourself to the edge Bruce. Have you looked in the mirror lately? When was the last time you slept?"

"Selina's doing all the sleeping around here, every second I waste-"

"You're not doing her any favors by burning yourself out! I'll go and track down our friend, but only if you promise to take a rest. Who knows what may come up, and we both need to be in top form."

Batman waved his hand dismissively "I'm fine; it's not your place to worry about me."

Barbara was becoming more and more irate, "I'm not Robin Bruce! And for that matter I'm not the police commissioner's teenage daughter playing sidekick in between classes anymore. I'm your partner and I have a responsibility to look out for _both_ our well being."

Batman seemed taken aback for a moment, and then shook his head in disgust.

Receiving no answer, Barbara grew even more outraged, she was now practically yelling at him. "Look, I understand Selina means a lot to you-"

Bruce suddenly burst from his chair and grabbed Barbara by the collar. He shouted as Barbara stared at him in shock, "You don't know ANYTHING about Selina! Or me! You…you…" He stopped, taken aback by his own loss of control. His grip loosened, and he looked down, and then slowly slunk back into his chair.

"Barbara…I'm…I'm sorry." He sat while Barbara stood silently for a full minute. He finally spoke. "You're right," he mumbled.

"Good, you rest, I'll go track down our target. Hopefully, I won't have to try to hard to convince her to help us." She said, picking up her tote bag.

Batman gestured to a desk in a corner, "I've already printed out and filed all the info you'll need to track her." He slowly stood up and spoke softy, "Barbara, I need you to know..."

"Don't worry about it," she replied, gathering up a thick paper file off the desk. "We're all stressed right now. You just relax."

She turned and walked to the changing room. As she reached the door, she turned and said, "I've got to suit up right now. By the way, I'll be taking the bat-plane."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

You can't lie here forever, Selina thought to herself. She had been lying awake on the table for at least a half hour. As she had regained consciousness, she realized several things at once. Firstly, it seemed that the flood of info through her senses had not died down, but instead her mind and body seemed to have adjusted. It was no longer annoying static but a stream of clear, understandable data. Because of this, she realized where she was immediately. Without getting up, she could see the massive cavern and fancy computer equipment clearly despite the dim light. The sounds of a cave echoed like a dark chorus, backed up by the high pitched voices of creatures high above with their flapping leathery wings. If there was any doubt, there was also the stench of guano hanging in the air. It didn't take much deduction to conclude she was in the famed "Bat Cave." So he had finally brought her home. Hopefully she wouldn't have to meet the parents.

Of course, all these sights, sounds and smells she was experiencing were not normal, and yet they seemed so familiar. Now she remembered why. She'd forgotten much of what she had felt in her brief time a guinea pig for Dr. Dorian, but it was coming back, fast. The realization caused her to panic, and she quickly flung up the white sheet covering her, confirming her fears. She was covered in a fine coat of fur, all her natural blond color, enough to satisfy her modesty, which was good because she wore no clothes to speak of. She stared at her hands, padded on the bottom, each finger tipped with a sharp, curved claw. With a thought, she saw it retract back into her hand. She lifted her right foot and saw it was the same. Looking down, she noticed her tail, flowing down across the table between her legs to her feet, lay limp, but at her first thought to take notice, twitched its tip back and forth nervously.

Please, she thought, this can't be happening, not again! She searched her memory over the last few days, weeks, even months trying to imagine something she could have done to make the mutation reassert itself. But she could think of nothing, no signs or suspicious happenings until the night of the heist.

She laid herself down, running her fingers (claws pulled back) back across her head. As she did so, she felt only short, thick fur, its coarseness a contrast to her old hair. Continuing up, she started when her hand hit the soft ears at the top of her head. Don't panic, she said to herself, you were cured once, there's a cure for this too. She had to believe it. But what could she do now?

She began to wonder how long she had been unconscious. She suspected it was a long time, not only because of the complexity of the change, but because of the fact that she was extremely hungry, and _really_ needed to use the bathroom. She rolled her head to one side and saw a light shining from an open doorway at the far end of the room against the coal black wall. Even from a distance, her eyes made out a sink. First things first, get out of bed, she thought. She sat up, and swung her feet to the side. Gingerly, she stepped off the table and onto the cold stone floor. Without realizing it at first, she stood on the balls of her feet, leaning forward slightly. As she took a step, she almost lost her footing between the new stance and disorientation from having lain down for so long. But she stayed upright, with her tail acting as a balancing tool. Now more aware of herself, she rested back on the heels of her feet in her more familiar stance. It seemed she could switch between both easily. She looked around, listening intently, but could see or hear no sign of anyone else. That said, she recognized the lingering scent of Batman and Batgirl from the alley, and at least one other human, one she couldn't identify.

She walked across the cave to the bathroom, and having relieved herself, came across a mirror as she looked to exit. She tried not to look at first, but a morbid curiosity made her stop and exam herself. She had never looked at herself in a mirror the previous time. What she saw horrified but fascinated her as well. Her eyes were dark vertical slits inside glowing jade backgrounds, against a face that she didn't recognize as her own, with a thin feline nose line that stretched out with her jaws to form a cross of a human mouth and short cat muzzle, lined with the fangs of a predator and guarded on each side with a pair of whiskers. A pair of pointed ears stood atop her head. They seemed to move on their own. She ran her fingers over them; her old hair, dyed brown, had indeed vanished.

Her tail seemed to move involuntarily, but when she focused on it, she found it almost prehensile, and easily controlled. The coat of short but thick fur wrapped her entire body, acting as a skintight suit against the well developed but sleek muscles that filled out her still very much feminine frame, making her think of a cross between an Amazon warrior and a blond cat. She rotated her body to see herself more fully, and then leaned over, finding her spine to be remarkably flexible. Hardly thinking of what she was doing, she comfortably got on all fours and took a few steps, before she concluded she had satisfied her curiosity and stood up quickly.

Turning her mind to other things, she looked at the sink, rubbing her dry throat. She turned the cold water on and leaned into the sink, her hands cupping the water as she lapped it up, revealing a change she hadn't thought of: her tongue was long and versatile, easily coaxing the cool water down her throat.

Beginning to feel slightly refreshed, she stopped at the faint sound of a door closing, followed by steps. She turned her head as a gust of cave air through the door blew her the familiar scent. She walked out of the bathroom.

"Selina, you're awake!" Batman shouted from across the room, "Don't worry, we'll find a way to reverse this again!"

"Thank you." She replied. She moved toward the center of the room in front of the computer monitor. "I just got up."

Batman met her there, "How do you feel?"

Selina paused; he seeing her like this caused the stress and shame to come afresh like a wave at her. For a second, she thought she'd break down into tears, and fly into his arms sobbing. But something stopped her. Perhaps it was born out of their rivalry or respect. Perhaps it was pride; no one would see Catwoman cry like a weak little girl. Or perhaps she didn't want to burden him with her weakness, but she quickly committed herself to approach this with the strength of a stoic. She composed herself and said, "Other than the fact that I'm hungry and still a little disoriented, I feel fine." She looked at her hands, "Do you have any idea…"

"Why? I'm not sure. Apparently Dr. Dorian's process had a few bugs in it, but we're working on it. Why don't you sit down, and I'll get you something to eat."

Selina nodded, and sat back on the table. Batman spoke, as he turned to leave, "By the way, there are some clothes on the shelf next to you." Selina looked down at a black sweater and a pair of blue jeans. She picked it up in her hand, bringing it to her face. The smell of detergent irritated her nose, and she could feel the roughness of the cloth against her fur. Inexplicably she formed an image in her head, of some creepy old women dressing their cats up in red Christmas stockings, doting them while fencing them in their laundry room.

"No, no thanks," she heard herself say. "I'm fine."

Batman turned his head to acknowledge, and then continued up the stairs. Catwoman curled up herself on the table, her head resting on her knees as she sat, staring straight ahead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The storm outside raged against the windows on the 15th floor of Lexcorp pharmaceutical, rain slamming against the glass leaving blots of a impact like a modern artist might fling paint against canvas, the vibrations creating a dull roar in the room where officer Derek was making his nightly patrols. Their sights and sounds were soothing to him, the sort of rain he remembered back from his days in old a rural home in the northwest Oregon, where'd he'd let the cool afternoon showers lull him to sleep. He sighed and continued patrolling the room, like he had time and time before, checking every cubicle of the massive employee work area, ending with the manager's personal office. The stacks of archived files here seemed safe for another day. Satisfied and eager to finish before one a.m., he strode toward the only exit, dutifully taking one last sweep with his flashlight before closing the door behind him.

Several seconds passed in the near pitch black room, the only sound or sight being the rain, and the occasional thunder preceded by the lightening that would every now and then light up the room. However, the city lights of the shorter buildings leaked into the top floor enough that after a minute or so, if one knew where to look, one might have seen a shaded figure drop from the ceiling to the floor. A few seconds later a flash of lightening revealed briefly the silhouette of a woman dashing into one of the cubicles. There was a barely audible jostling of metal which the trained ear might recognize as the picking of a lock, followed by the rustling of papers.

All this came to a halt as a beam of light suddenly illuminated the figure, revealing a woman covered in fur with the spotted patterns of a cheetah, wearing a small backpack wrapped around her waist, crouched before a filing cabinet. "Dr. Minerva?" said Batgirl, trying to sound non threatening, "I'm not here to-"

Before she could get out "Turn you in," she saw Barbara Minerva, aka the Cheetah, grab a paperweight off the desk and fling it at her head. Batgirl ducked as the Cheetah leapt over the cubicle wall. Looks like we're doing this the hard way, Batgirl thought, she could practically hear Batman saying, "I told you so." Dropping her flashlight and lowering the night vision goggles on her brow she dashed around and over the cubicle walls. It was a bit like navigating a maze, but at least she could see.

For her part, Cheetah's "natural" night vision was serving her well, as was her exit strategy. She leapt off a cubicle wall and through a ceiling tile in one fluid motion, disappearing into the upper crust of the building. She sprinted on all fours toward her entrance hole, only to be stopped by the flash of lights from an aircraft hovering right outside the building. A police helicopter? No, that was…

"The Bat Plane," said Batgirl standing behind her wearing a smile beneath the green pupils of her headgear, "…has a number of great features, including automatic pilot, I was thinking of giving you a demonstration." She barely had finished that quip as Cheetah leapt for her, claws and fangs on full display. 0-2 for diplomacy, she thought.

* * *

Selina sipped her drink awkwardly, as if she wasn't used to the shape of her mouth. She seemed to enjoy it however, and said, "Thank you, this is all very nice, I never knew you could fix tea like this." Batman smiled, realizing he was getting credit for Alfred's work. Selina continued, "I think I tasted something like this in London once, at a ball attended by the Prince of Wales." 

She took another drink before quickly adding, "And don't give me any lectures on the rich girl who throws her promising life away committing crimes. Not all of us are content to live out boring, socially respectable lives. I suspect you know that very well."

Well, to an extent he did…but he couldn't really expound on that. For all their familiarity, his true identity was still a mystery to her. This was remarkable, given that she knew Bruce Wayne as well. As Wayne, he had looked to steer her interests toward her concern for wildlife, or half a dozen other pursuits. But in the end, she would always succumb to her old ways. He had begun to wonder if she wasn't as different from the compulsive criminals he had put away in Arkham after all. The Riddler couldn't stop making puzzles, the Joker couldn't stop his sick jokes, and as far as he knew, Catwoman couldn't stop stealing.

As if on cue, Selina spoke up, "I suppose I don't need to ask what you did with the gem," she said. It was clear she was trying to force some humor into the situation. "I sent it back to the museum," he replied. "There's no chance of you being traced to it, if that's what you're wondering."

Catwoman sighed, then turned, with a slight smile, "You mean you're not promising to send me to jail when this is over? You're getting soft."

"I just figured we had too much on our plate as it is without a warrant for your arrest. Besides, no harm done, the goods are returned"

Catwoman took another sip of her drink as he continued. "I also checked on your assets back at home. Everything seems to be in order."

"Of course," Selina spoke as she lowered her glass slightly. "My secretary is used to taking care of things while I'm away on my various 'business trips.'" Her smile was more genuine now.

They talked for several minutes, and Selina called her office to explain her prolonged absence. Having finished her meal, she looked comfortable as she asked: "So what is our next step?"

"Our next step is to wait. I have Batgirl on an assignment to bring the only person left who ever worked on Dorian's formula, Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva."

"The Cheetah, yes, I've run into her once or twice. Not a bad thief herself. What's she up to now?"

Batman brought up several news articles on the computer monitor. "She's been working solo ever since Grodd and Luthor's Secret Society broke up for good. I believe she's back to looking for a cure for herself, so we have a common interest. Unfortunately for her, she's still wanted by the police."

Selina smiled optimistically, "Then she'll be willing to lend a hand?"

"Friend or foe, I can give her access to much of the resources she wants. Hopefully, she and Batgirl are resolving things now."

* * *

The two women crashed through the ceiling and broke the staff break room table with the force of their fall. Cheetah was on the bottom and took the worst of it. Batgirl rolled away and rotated into a kneeling position facing her. She seemed to be out cold. As she looked up, she saw an older man in a disheveled security uniform, transceiver in one hand, a half eaten Butterfinger bar in the other. Officer Derek seemed to be frozen, though she couldn't exactly blame him for being stunned silent at the site of two women, one in a cape and mask and the other in fur, crashing in on his work break. Bumbling, he managed to drop the radio first, then grabbed is gun, pointing it at Batgirl. 

"D-Don't move!" he stammered. He then realized he ought to call for backup, and tried to pick up his radio again with the hand that had the candy bar.

Barbara Gordon sighed, standing up with her hands raised, "Sir please-"

"Be quiet!" He shouted. He lifted the device to his mouth. "Get security to the staff room on the 15th! And call the police! We've got-Uh!" He was cut off by a resurgent Cheetah, who had in one motion rolled off the broken table, and from the floor kicked away his gun with one leg, and then planted both feet firmly into his jaw.

Derek fell to the floor as Cheetah turned to face Batgirl. She had moved to place a long cafeteria table between them. Cheetah gripped her end of the table and pushed it forcefully at Batgirl, who managed to dive away as the table smashed into the overlook window, shattering it and allowing in the pouring rain.

Cheetah dashed across the table and leapt through the opening. Batgirl ran to the broken window and through the blinding rain sheets, looked down the side of the building, and saw Cheetah descending it, level by level. Calmly, she put her hand to her ear and said, "Bat-plane, come."

The roar of a jet engine could be heard, and it was getting louder. Cheetah, looked to the corner of the building, and then down below, still clinging by her claws to a window sill. She seemed to make a decision and, to Batgirl's horror, leapt from her perch.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Hours had passed and it was getting late. Of course, in the cave it was impossible to tell time by sunlight, though Selina seemed to know it nearly midnight anyway. However, the Bat-Cave did not have a guest room. Batman had concluded that at this point, he would be willing to bring Selina up into the mansion, even if that meant giving up his identity to her, but before he could offer, Selina asked to spend the night in the cave.

As she lie on the roll away bed that Batman had brought down from that staircase, she let her mind wander. She had sensed that he was going to reveal his identity to her, and deduced that he would do so by taking her out of the cave (she had been surprised at how expressive and easily 'readable' he was at first, before she realized that it was her heightened senses giving her enough information to see through his icy demeanor). That was more pity from him than she was willing to take. Besides, she'd always promised to find out the face behind the mask herself…

Truthfully though, the wide open space of the cave, dark, full of sounds and smells, was strangely pleasing to her. The smell of the bats and dankness of the cave did not trouble her, they seemed natural, a pleasant scent that seemed to say the place was full of life. In fact, the whole world around her seemed to have become more vibrant and alive. When she looked at the sanded cave floor, its walls, even the chairs, desks and other furniture and equipment, her eyes detected miniscule flaws and details which her human eyes could not have. Scratches and indentations turned plain smooth surfaces into a series of canyon-like patterns. She could discern distance and locations of the sounds of the bats and other echoes within the cave resonating around her, creating a kind of "sound map" in her mind. Smell, sight, and sound all coalesced to form an acute sense of awareness about her. Nothing in the cave was hidden. And with that knowledge came a strange feeling of satisfaction that she was the most powerful creature in her domain. She hadn't noticed it until Batman left, but something in the back of her mind seemed to sense him as a competitor for her space, for supremacy in her immediate area. Well, cats are naturally independent, territorial creatures, she thought to herself. At least she didn't feel the urge to "mark her territory."

There was one thing annoying her though. The bed she was lying on smelled of disinfectant and maybe half a dozen other cleaning liquids and they all irritated her nose. And yet she could still smell the scent of the previous persons who had used it. It just didn't seem like…her bed. She shifted uncomfortably all over the mattress. She did this for about a minute until she realized what she was doing. She was indeed "marking" the bed, rubbing her body against the cloth sheets until she could smell her own scent in it. She forced herself to relax, and stared at the black ceiling. She wished the cave had a sky light. She let her mind wander, hoping to think about anything other than her own situation. But she found herself remembering her first capture and transformation. Back when Dorian had raped her of her humanity so he could have a mate for his prized creation, Tygrus.

Tygrus, the thought of him brought back vivid memories of that time, a time she had tried so hard to put out of her mind. She had been kidnapped and strapped to Dorian's table when she first saw him, an awful monster with pointed fangs and yellow eyes that seemed to have no intelligence in them. When she awoke transformed, she was confused and unsure of what had happened to her. Yet she had the same reaction to his presence when she saw him again. Her humanity had been stronger than any feral desires Dorian had hoped to implant. Yet even then she could sense Tygrus' demeanor seemed different that time around. He seemed curious at the sight of her, even…hopeful?

Dorian had sent Tygrus to eliminate Batman, who had come to rescue her; with the promise to Tygrus that she would be his if he killed him and an antidote to Batman if he was victorious. After escaping her own cage to find Batman and Dorian's prized creation about to finish each other off, she had confronted Tygrus, her tiny body walled between the mammoth man-cat and his prey. She sensed something in him, something more than pure animalistic instinct. She knew that he would listen to her, that he was more than his "father" had wanted him to be. Perhaps her new senses told her, perhaps they were similar enough now that they had a connection, but when she told him, "Dorian's wrong, you know it," and placed her clawed hand gently on his cheek, she could sense the internal struggle going on inside him. His acceptance of the truth came with a roar of anguish, and personal consequences for himself.

Dorian was enraged at his 20 year project being "corrupted" with feelings of mercy. He blamed her, and only Tygrus turning against his own father saved her life. Everything Tygrus had learned and loved growing up had turned out to be a lie, and the realization sent him into a rage. The laboratory that had born him burned to the ground at his own hand. As she and Batman escaped, she felt sorrow at his apparent fate, sorrow which turned to joy as she saw him emerge from the flames, carrying his unconscious father.

It was then she realized the destruction of the lab had destroyed all chance for a cure.

"Batman! The antidote! I'll be stuck like this forever!"

Tygrus came closer to her in that moment. "Would that be so bad? You could stay here, with me."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke, "Oh Tygrus, I can't live like this; I have to be human again."

As she said this she saw his face become filled with sadness. Tygrus took her hands in his, which caught her off guard. His grip was firm, yet she felt no danger. As she looked up into his face, she found herself, for the first time, admiring his features. They no longer seemed like that of a mere animal. His scent still screamed a sort of primal male vigor, yet his demeanor was never more civil. His voice spoke in a deep bass tinged with grief, "Goodbye, Selina."

He closed her hands, and his grip released. As he walked away, she realized he had placed something in them. She looked down to see the vial of anti-gen Dorian had promised Batman on Tygrus' defeat. Her heart quickly lifted with elation! But Tygrus…

She ran and reached toward him as she called, "Wait! Won't you come with us? There's nothing for you here."

Tygrus turned, his face now set in stone, "There's nothing for me…anywhere." He then turned and disappeared into the thick jungle foliage.

Selina slowly faded back into the present, where she realized she had been "cleaning herself" with her own tongue like a house cat for several minutes. She began to tear up. Tygrus was right; there was no place in this world for an abomination like him…or her. She didn't look human, she didn't even _feel_ human anymore. She was a horrendous algamation of woman and beast, the wild nightmare of a madman. Without a cure, she would be an outcast, cut off from all humanity, all human love and companionship.

* * *

Batgirl looked on in horror as Cheetah leapt from her window, then in amazement as she grasped a flag pole and like a gymnast, spun and threw herself to a tree, where she disappeared into the leaves, then emerged below, landing safely on the rain soaked pavement. Crouched on all fours, she turned, smiling, to see if Batgirl was following, but only saw a metal canister land a few feet from her, she turned to leap away, but a massive cloud of gas quickly engulfed her, filling her lungs. Her senses went dim, her muscles limp, and she collapsed.

Batgirl was quickly by her side, trying to shield her eyes from the rain fall as she directed the Bat plane toward their position. In a few seconds, they were inside, and hovering at two thousand feet. Gordon checked Minerva's vitals; she was unconscious, but ok. Using the Bat plane's submission gas had been a bit excessive. Batman designed them to quickly subdue a large number of hostiles at once. They had been useful in the last massive Arkham breakout. But she had run out of time. Below, the security officer's called in help was now arriving. She couldn't afford to risk Cheetah falling into the hands of the police, or even them knowing that she had apprehended her. Then they would begin to wonder why she wasn't being handed over.

After making sure Minerva was bound and secure in the back, she set coordinates for home. Thrusters fired, and they disappeared into the dark clouds above the city.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The moon was not shining tonight. It was hidden behind a seal of black. Father's books had once called it a "New Moon" that happened each month. Regardless, the added darkness made tonight the best time to hunt, especially with the armored men rummaging about the jungle. He wasn't sure how long they would continue to search for them. Perhaps their losses would break their resolve.

Tygrus' mind turned to his new companions, who were waiting for him to return with a meal of meat. Their new power and instincts were serving them well. It seemed that the mated pair had some skill in fending for themselves, and the other's ability to mend wounds was useful, but they were raw. In the forest, fending for their own food while hunted by the men with guns and armor, instinct and strength could not replace experience. They would have to learn fast. Perhaps if he did not see any enemies tonight he would take them on his next venture and see what he could teach them.

The scent of a familiar creature interrupted his thoughts. It had just moved downwind, and he quickly calculated it was about twelve feet away. Lying low to the ground in the thick foliage, he couldn't actually see anything more than half a foot away, but its smell was unmistakable. It was a creature that Father had once called a sphinx. There was also blood in the air, but not the creature's. It had recently made a kill of its own. Regardless, if it was a typical adult, it would be big enough to feed them for the night.

Tygrus moved softly through the leaves, step over step; his breath slowed, as did his heartbeat. He could hear his prey clearly now, devouring what was left of a bird of some kind. As he grew closer, his movements grew slower, till he almost came to a stop. Ten minutes passed till he was a mere half foot from his prey, still obstructed from view by the plants. A quick lunge forward and he had the creature in his claws, its neck broken. It made no sound; only a brief rustle of the leaves accompanied its death.

He stood up, emerging out of the ground foliage amidst the tightly packed trees. All of his seven feet bore an immense frame of muscles that seemed to rope around his body. Several birds in the trees, previously unaware of his presence, flew in terror. The feeling of a kill, as it always did, sent a rush through his system, but knowing he now had enemies listening for him, he resisted the urge to roar, burying the lust and satisfaction of victory deep in his massive chest. Instead he gripped his prize tightly, raising it in triumph over his head toward the blackness that just creeped through the branches above. He lowered his arms, his adrenalin subsiding slightly.

Tygrus looked at his kill. It was a three foot feline with jet black stripes against a sandy orange background of fur that covered its body. A pair of large black-tipped light yellow-feathered wings grew from its back, stretching over six and a half feet spread out. It was a lovely creature, Tygrus thought, and a fortunate find. These sphinxes are rarely caught, especially such a strong one, clearly in his prime. The added muscles needed for its wings would provide extra flesh. They would eat well tonight.

* * *

Selina completed her one hundredth "male" pull up and lowered herself to the ground. She was only barely winded. This new body's limits would be hard to measure. Suddenly, without turning around, she spoke to the man who had just entered the training room.

"Hello Bats, punch any thugs tonight?"

"Slow crime night."

Selina turned, flashing smile full of fangs, "You seem taken aback, not being able to sneak up on me anymore is bugging you isn't it?"

Batman remained stoic, "Selina, I need to inform you of a few things. First off, Batgirl got Cheetah, they're on their way. But I've also been monitoring your situation. The changes to you haven't stopped."

Selina's faced grew sober, her ears turned down. "What do you mean?"

Batman continued, "As you know, Dorian intended to give you three shots, we administered the antigen after only the second. I never figured out exactly what the third shot was supposed to do."

Batman sighed and continued, "As you know, when you first came in, we tried to give you some of the cure that I'd saved. It didn't work; it was a rash act, one that I now regret. I'm hoping Dr. Minerva can confirm or deny my finings, but it seems that the serum Dorian put into your body was almost…viral. It stayed in your system, repressed but not killed by the cure for all this time, then somehow mutated to not only resist it, but actually feed on it. When I injected you with my own supply; it made you worse."

Batman's voice was steady, his demeanor didn't budge, but somehow, Selina could smell the heartache coming from him. She asked, "What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know for sure, but…from your scans, it seems much of 'activity' that this thing is still doing to you is focused on the brain."

There was a long pause. "I see," Selina spoke at last, "Thank you for telling me this." She tried to force a smile, "Of course, we won't know for sure until the girl wonder comes back right? It's possible that you're just misinterpreting the data?"

"It's possible, but I'm pretty confident Cheetah will confirm my findings, I don't like to give false hope."

"That's why I like you Batman, an endless spring of optimism in this messed up world."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"You've got to be kidding me!" The Cheetah snarled. She was sitting in a chair bolted to the floor, with her restrained by steel wire rope. "You want MY help? The last time I trusted you, you nearly got me killed."

Batgirl spoke up, "What? Surely you didn't expect Batman to just let you guys free after helping defeat Darksied's invasion force. I mean, he even argued to give you and the remaining criminals a head start! You were the one person who actually got away, as I recall…"

The Cheetah spat at her as she spoke, "Not that you red headed idiot! Or did he never tell you about the time when he was captured by Luthor's _original_ band of bad guys?"

Barbara Gordon clenched her fist in anger, before feeling Batman's hand on her shoulder. She pushed it away, whispering, "I'm fine" then replying, "He told me he managed to get certain members of the group to turn on Luthor."

Barbara Minerva leaned forward, as far as her restrained chair would go, "Oh yes, he pretended to listen to my story, acted sympathetic, even…" she glared at Batman, then looked down. Her voice turned to a rasped whisper, her anger barely contained, "They found out me and him were being friendly, and they fingered me for a traitor. The funny part? I didn't actually do anything to betray them, but he had manipulated someone _else_ too, I don't even know who, but I guess they set me up to take their blame when things went wrong with our plans."

Batman calmly spoke, "That's not how-"

"Shut up!" Minerva hissed, "Do you have any clue what Solomon Grundy was going to do to me before I escaped? Do you?" Her emerald eyes hurled daggers at Batman.

Batman replied coldly, "You were in a club of psychopaths and megalomaniacs bent on killing me and the Justice League. I did what I had to do to break up your party." He paused for a second, and then continued, with perhaps a drop of compassion, "That said, it was never my intention for you to be found out like that. I was going to offer you a chance to tap my resources toward finding you a cure in exchange for help against your gang, an offer I'm extending now."

Cheetah dismissed this with a sneer and looked away. "Am I to believe you're being genuine after all that's happened? That you're not just looking to depower one of your foes then turn me in? Being cured won't get rid of the charges against me you know. And exactly how do you expect me to trust you…when you haven't told me about the third person listening to us."

"That's enough." Selina stepped out into the light. Minerva's face read complete shock for several seconds, and then softened into one of curiosity. She leaned forward, examining her. As if responding to a request, Selina moved closer, putting her hand forward. Minerva arched her nose toward her, seeming to test her scent. She leaned back, her eyes locking onto Selina's. Several seconds passed, causing Batgirl to fidget quietly. It was like they were holding a silent conversation she and Batman weren't privy to. Finally the Cheetah spoke up.

"Selina, it's been awhile. How long since this started? Do you know why?"

"Several days, and we don't know. The symptoms are getting worse. The serum that cured me last time only made things worse."

The Cheetah looked down, seeming to trail off into thought. "Yes, that's similar to my problem. I built on Dorian's formula, hoping to get the benefits without the…side effects." She leaned back, staring at the ceiling, "When I decided to test it on myself, (lack of funding, you know the story I'm sure) I created an antidote in case something went wrong. But the mutagenic agent…adapted and actually fed on it. Now it's more complex than getting the serum out of my system. My, and presumably your, DNA has been fundamentally changed. My own body adapts and fights off any antigen I put into myself like a disease. Did I mention I haven't gotten sick since I changed? My thought was that I could recreate a similar formula based on my own original DNA and essentially mutate myself back. That hasn't worked so far, as I lack the resources to build anything as strong as my original serum."

"You can have anything you need, money is no object." Batman said coolly. Batgirl's head turned sharply toward him. Giving such information, indicating how financially well off he was, was not a small thing. It was essentially handing out clues to his identity.

Minerva nodded. "Alright, but when it's over, I need your promise you'll take me out of the country."

"You have my word."

Minerva sighed, "That'll have to do. Ok, if you'll untie me, I'll write down a list of everything I need…"

* * *

Dr. Minerva mulled over the large steel table covered with test tubes, beakers and assorted equipment. She wore a white lab coat and safety glasses, with gloves. She'd commented that they were horribly uncomfortable, but necessary to help keep her samples from being contaminated by loose fur. She placed a few tubes in the centrifuge and sent it spinning. She watched for several seconds, then suddenly said, without looking up: 

"I know you're both there, so you might as well come out and talk."

Selina and Batgirl both slinked out of the shadows and stepped toward the table. Gordon spoke, "I'm sorry, I guess we didn't want to intrude."

"More specifically," Minerva said, glancing up as she leaned over her equipment, "You instinctively thought twice about invading my territory," she said, looking at Selina.

Batgirl looked at Catwoman, who seemed to be holding back an urge to pounce. Catwoman finally spoke up, sounding frustrated, "Yeah, I didn't understand my feeling, but that's what it was I guess."

"If it makes you feel any better, the new instincts become familiar over time. You learn to use them, and not let them use you. The worst thing you can do is freak out and try to deny them." Dr. Minerva said.

"Deny them?" Selina replied. She felt like telling the doctor she didn't want any free psyche analysis, especially since she was a biologist, but she knew Minerva understood more of her condition than anyone else.

"Trying to repress them only leaves you unstable and stressed out. The key is equilibrium. You'll understand after awhile. You may even get to appreciate your new abilities." The Cheetah picked up a notebook and began to page through it.

Batgirl stepped in, "Right…anyways, I wanted to tell you that even though Batman may have come across harsh back there, he's serious when he promises to help you out. He's completely dedicated to his cause, and sometimes to do that he has to shut off his emotions. But I know when he's honest. He means it when he says he'll help you."

The Cheetah looked up. "You think you know him eh? I thought I knew him. I was reading his heartbeat, studying his visual tells, even the smells he was giving off back in that warehouse. He's the first human who's been able to mask his true feelings from me."

"I've worked with him for awhile now-"

"But you're not content to just 'work with him' are you?"

"What? I don't-"

"C'mon, don't play dumb. You I _can_ read. For Pete's sake, you practically reek of pheromones around him."

Batgirl clinched her fist, her hazel eyes staring through the Cheetah. "I have work to do," she said curtly.

The Cheetah spoke as Gordon turned her back to leave, "I bet there's one thing I know about him that you don't, even after all these years." Gordon stopped, without turning around. The Cheetah leaned forward, and whispered menacingly, "He's a great kisser."

Gordon walked out without replying, or turning around.

When she was gone, Catwoman snarled at the Cheetah, her ears turned back menacingly, "That wasn't necessary."

Minerva replied, matter of factly, "I did it for her own good you know. She's infatuated with that guy, and he's obsessed with his own agenda." She began to trail off a bit. "That's why I trusted him you know, we were both totally dedicated to our causes. I was willing to give up…everything," she gazed at one of her hands a moment, grinning ever so slightly and continued, "For some reason I thought that gave us a connection. But what am I saying, you knew him better than anyone else." She looked at Selina and gave a toothish grin, "In fact, when we crossed paths in Rome, his scent was still on you."

Selina's looked surprised for a moment, the spoke angrily, "That is no concern of yours." She spoke condescendingly, "All I really recall from that meeting was how I got away with the jewels you were hired to steal first."

The Cheetah brushed off the boast, "You'll get no argument here. I was doing the job I was paid to do, you did it better. You stole those Vatican treasures right out from under me. Know this though, I learned a few things in my time in Grodd's gang, and I'm twice the thief I was back then."

Selina actually smiled at this, but then something seemed to strike her, and she spoke, in a concerned voice, "Rome…actually, I do remember one other thing…I remember your scent from there. I just now realized it. But I wasn't…this back then. How could I do that?"

Dr. Minerva now looked at Selina with particular interest. "That's a sign of further progression of the formula. Your brain is unlocking smells you picked up in the past, but never registered with your old senses. You'll probably start remembering all sorts of smells and sounds that weren't there before."

Selina sat down. Looking down she said, almost to herself, "So even my memories are changing." She looked up, "Dr Minerva, you _have_ to fix this."

"I'm doing the best I can, if you haven't noticed, we're both in the same boat here."

Selina replied, "Of course. I'm sorry." But as she spoke, she knew something was amiss. Minerva's body language, the smell of her, just seemed to betray something.

"No" she said slowly, "…We're not really are we."

The Cheetah shot a confused glance at her, "What do you mean?"

"You…you don't really want to change back anymore, do you?"

The Cheetah reared back, looking offended, but then relaxed, smiling widely. "Yes, you've guessed right. I wasn't robbing corporate secrets to find a cure; I wanted to build on my own mutation, to perfect it." She looked at her hands with quiet admiration as she spoke, "I'm not sure when I started…liking this. I guess always did. It's almost impossible, the strength, the speed, whole new world of sensation." She looked up to Selina, "But I guess once I spent some time in Grodd's gang of villains, I got used to hanging around freaks every day. Heck, I practically felt normal. I've reconciled myself with what I am now."

"But don't worry;" she said reassuringly, "I'll still fulfill my end of the bargain for you and Batman. The knowledge I'll gain from these experiments is more than worth it, plus the help safely getting out of the country."

"Right…I have to tell Batman about this you know…"

"Pfft, I'd be shocked if he hasn't guessed already. In fact…" Minerva suddenly removed a glove and reached out behind Selina's ear and plucked a tiny metal device between two of her claws. She raised it close to her eye. "Some kind of listening device. By the look on your face, I'd say he planted this on you without your knowledge." Selina was open mouthed, unable to speak. "You've been closer to him than anyone, and he still feels the need to spy on you. But hey, you're still a criminal, right?" She flipped the device into Selina's hands, and turned her attention back to her centrifuge. "Don't worry; at least I'm pretty sure he has your best interests at heart. Heck, he probably spies on everybody, Robin, Batgirl, Superman. Probably keeps kryptonite in his belt. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do that requires my total concentration."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Batman had barely come down the stairway when Selina threw the device at him. It hit him square in the chest and bounced off the stone floor, ringing as rolled about halfway between them and settled like a spinning quarter.

"You're a paranoid freak!" Selina hissed at him. "You have to be in control of everyone, including the people around you. I suppose it was foolish to think we could trust each other that it was…"

Her words slowed to a halt. She had been thinking of all the times they had been together. The experience with Dorian, the time she was poisoned by Dr. Milo, the time she saved him from the Joker's machine on live television, a favor he had returned…but then she started remembering other things. She remembered the dates they had years ago, they had discussed setting up preservations for endangered animals. She could remember the scent. But that wasn't with Batman that was with...

"Bruce?" She said, in a whisper. He stood still for several seconds, and then nodded silently. Her anger returned, her face looked like that of a cornered wild animal, "So, all this time you've been manipulating me, trying to make me a proper member of society. You befriended me, showed interest in my causes, but it was all fake wasn't it? You viewed me as a case study. Another one of your freaks to try and cure. Maybe if I had been a nice kitty on a leash; you'd show real interest, but you'd never accept me for what I was. You're just like Dorian, trying to shape and control people around you according to your vision!"

Batman stood silently, like a wall. Finally she said "Well?" with an exasperated sound in her voice.

Bruce replied, his demeanor barely changing "Is that what you believe?"

After a few seconds, Catwoman calmed down, her teeth no longer born, her ears relaxing on the top of her head. "No," she spoke finally, taking several deep breaths, "Not really. But I do want to know why you bugged me."

Batman walked forward and picked up the device, "It's actually a device I put in to monitor your physical condition for any changes." Catwoman looked down, embarrassed. "Though if you think I'm not taking precautions with two of the word's greatest thieves in my home, you're mistaken," he added matter-of-factly.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Selina said tensely. She then put her hand to her head, "Bruce, I'm sorry, I just…this is a lot to take in at once."

"Did you ever suspect?"

She paused…"No, not really. You were always more than the playboy from the tabloids. Still, billionaire Bruce Wayne," she said cracking a smile, "I was beginning to wonder where all that first class equipment came from. Always wondered why I couldn't find your distributor myself."

Thus began a long, personal conversation. The memories flushed forward as they remembered their past encounters. Years worth of chases, captures, escapes. Bruce seemed awkward, he'd clearly never discussed so many of those old stories, but Selina was amazed at how precise his memory was.

When there was a lull in the discussion, Batman's voice became more serious. "Selina, you once said that maybe there could be something else for us, without the masks."

Selina's expression became sad, her eyes and ears turned down. "Batman…Bruce" She said, "I…"

She suddenly stopped. "Dr. Minerva's coming."

The Cheetah came into the room, shedding her lab coat and safety glasses. She took a deep stretch, moaning slightly, clearly glad to be rid of the cumbersome outfit. "Am I interrupting anything?" She said, glancing at the device in Batman's hand.

"Not really," Catwoman responded quickly. "What's the progress report?"

"To make a long story short, I need access to Dorian's original notes. At this point I'm just working backwards."

"How do we get them?" Batman said.

"Well," she responded, "It's possible they're locked away in some secret government warehouse. Where that would be-your guess is as good as mine."

Catwoman spoke up, "Batman, what about Dorian's island? I know his lab was mostly destroyed by Tygrus but there still might be something there."

The Cheetah leaned forward, curious "Tygrus?"

"I'll explain on the way." Batman replied as he took out his transceiver. "Batgirl," he spoke into it, "Prep the Batplane. We're going for a trip."

He then turned to Selina and Minerva, "The sooner we do this the better. I've got to make some preparations, I'd get some rest, and we'll leave early next morning." He then departed quickly from the room. As he left the Cheetah peered curiously at Selina's expression.

"I guess we'd better turn in," she said finally.

* * *

"None of Dorian's notes I received even mentioned Tygrus." The Cheetah said from the back seat of the Batplane, seated next to Catwoman. The Batplane soared just above the clouds. Through the tinted windows, one could just see through them to the ocean.

"He kept it secret," Batman responded as he tried to steady the plane from a slight rush of turbulence. "For twenty years. When we left, we didn't feel the need to tell anyone about him, we figured Tygrus didn't deserve the extra attention."

"Do you think he's still alive?" Batgirl asked.

"Who knows? He was all alone there. If we do run into him, we need to be careful. There's no telling what state of mind he'll be in."

Catwoman looked down, as the Cheetah spoke, "Heck, I'd be interested in meeting him. Just asking a few questions might help out a lot."

"Well, we're closing in on the island, so you may get your chance."

"Finally! If I had to stay in these cramped seating arrangements any longer-"

Just then, a loud, flashing red alarm went off. The dashboard message read, "S.A.M. Incoming."

"SAMs?" Batgirl shouted over the blaring warning sound, "This island is supposed to be abandoned, how can it have air defense missiles?"

"I don't know, but hold on," Batman retorted. He took a sharp turn to the right, the sudden surge in g forces almost making their passengers black out. He then took a left, and continued zig zagging across the sky. He checked his warning system, there were two missiles following him.

"Releasing flare," he said as he flipped a switch. A bright flight released from the plane's back. Batman checked his radar, still one left. He tried to climb altitude. No good, this could be it. "Be ready to bail."

They barely had enough time to register the shock, as they quickly grabbed a parachute each.

He made a sharp drop in altitude, with the missile still in hot pursuit. A quick glance at his radar told him they were over the island.

"If we eject, try to meet on the ground," he said, as he made a last, desperate move to lose his pursuer. Still no good. It was now or never. He gripped the "eject all" lever and pulled it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Base, this is Ross, we're close to our target." Six armored men were moving violently through the foliage, leaving a trail of broken leaves and brush behind them. All six had tranquilizer guns. . The man behind the leader tapped him on the shoulder and spoke to him.

"Ross?"

"Yeah Walters?"

"Seeing as they finally let you bring a real gun," he said, referring to the pistol holstered at Ross's side, "Just want you to know we'll back you up if you see fit to use it."

"Thanks," Ross replied blankly.

"They must think this is serious, haven't let us carry anything lethal since we came here." Smith said.

"I just want to get this over with while there's still daylight," Ross said, eying a glowing orange Sun, which was moving closer to the horizon by the minute.

At Ross's signal, they slowed their pace to a crawl. "Should be just beyond these trees," he whispered.

Following a hand signal, they spread out into a crescent formation, and continued forward. A call came out from Rogers, one of the shorter men in the group:

"I found something! Parachute caught in tree!" As they closed in on their target, they suddenly found themselves in stunned silence. Then the silence seemed to break all at once.

"What the…"

"It's one of _them_!"

"In a parachute?"

"Is this some kind of joke?"

Ross tried to calm them down, but inside he was just as confused. They were supposed to be here checking for survivors from the plane that was shot down. A parachute was caught in a tree with a limp body attached, but this had to be some mistake. From what he knew, there weren't any other cat people off the island. Still, this blond one didn't ring a bell.

"Is she dead?" He asked the unit medic.

The medic carefully moved towards the hanging cat woman. He took her pulse.

"She's alive alright," he said. "Just knocked out. No real damage."

"Funny, I don't remember any of the escapees matching her description. Better let her down boys. Base will be interested in this."

"#$ this, just kill her."

Ross turned quickly; it was Walters, "What's that?"

Ross expected Walters would simply mumble 'Nothing' and that would be that, but Walters had a look in his eye Ross had never seen in him before. "These freaks have been killing our buddies for weeks. We finally have the means to wax one and you're turning it down?"

"Walters, I know McCloud was your friend-"

"Don't tell me what you know! In this business, we watch each other's back. We have to take one down, prove to them we're serious."

Ross shook his head, "This ain't retaliation, this is execution. We don't do that."

"I disagree."

Ross suddenly turned to find himself at the barrel of his own gun by Rogers. He checked his picked holster, then boomed "What the $# is this?"

"Sorry Ross," Rogers said. "But we agreed on this before hand." His free hand indicated the rest of the group. "If we found one of these freaks, and the opportunity arose, we'd all see that it gets its head blown off."

Ross's eyes were shocked. He glared in anger at each of them, their expression confirming Rogers' words. "That a fact?" He shouted angrily, "Hernandez? Russell? _Smith_?"

Smith came forward. His face was almost apologetic. "We know you're a stickler for the rules, but us, we've been here for months now, and searching for these escapees for weeks. We've lost men to them; all the while watching the ones back at base like we're their &$# babysitter." By now his expression had become contorted, his voice sharp. "If you don't want part of this Ross, fine, walk away."

"Or what, you'll shoot me?" Ross said, defiantly; he inched closer to the gun.

Rogers pointed the barrel at Ross's head, "Months on a deserted island watching freaks? Can drive a man crazy. Don't push it."

Ross stood still for several seconds before backing up slightly. He spoke vacantly "I'm heading back to base. See you there." He then turned and slowly walked toward base. In a few seconds he had disappeared from sight behind the cover of the jungle.

"Alright boys," Rogers said with an evil gleam in his eye. "Six bullets to use however we please. Since Ross was such a &#$, we have one extra to share. I think Walters here should get the extra shot." There were laughs as they all nodded. Ross handed Walters the gun. "How about it? Where does the first bullet go?"

Walters took the gun and smiled, scanning up and down the limp creature before him. "I'm going to make sure she wakes up first. She needs to suffer."

The others cleared away to give him a clear shot. "Alright pussycat, how about one right in the-"

He was cut off. Almost instantly, the gun was gone, and a splash of blood came from his wrist and throat. The others quickly drew their guns, but the massive gray blur was upon them instantly. Russell fell before Rogers even managed to get his gun up. Suddenly, the shadowy mass was directly in front of him. He shot instinctively, praying as hard as he could remember. Then, elation! The dart stuck right into the thing's thick furry hide. It didn't last long. The creature didn't slow down at all. Rogers felt a sharp penetration into his skull before he fell over dead. Three down. Another dart lodged into the creature's back, this one from Hernadez. The tall, broad shouldered man then pulled a combat knife from his boot and charged, leaping wildly. He found himself flipped over the creature's shoulder, landing on the back of his neck, with an audible snap. Hernadez lay motionless. Four down.

Suddenly, a third dart lodged into the beast's back. He turned, fixing his yellow, glowing eyes on Smith, fangs borne, claws extended. Smith had no where to run now, and his gun was spent. Seeming to know this, the creature lurched forward slowly, taking its time. Suddenly, Smith saw it-Ross's pistol, lying on the ground. He would have to dive for it. He glanced one way, then dashed for the pistol, leaping, hand stretched out, only to see the gun taken out from under him. The creature stared at the gun angrily, then tossed it aside. It now looked especially irritated at the annoying little man in front of him. Smith began to whimper. When it had come within a foot of him, he went to his knees and begged.

"Please look, I didn't want to do it myself, I got pressured-" He was suddenly lifted up by the neck, held in a vice like grip, rising from his knees till his feet dangled as he was brought face to face with the beast.

"Do you think I enjoy spilling your blood?" The creature boomed. Smith was looking right into his eyes, burning pools of yellow fire. "You are not food, leave us alone, and we will not be your enemy." He threw him to the ground harshly. "Tell your masters they will not harm or capture another free one. Anyone who tries will be killed."

Smith ran away as fast as he could, bumping into trees and bushes as he went.

A soft moan came from behind him.

"Selina!" he exclaimed, rushing to her. "Are you injured?"

"I don't think so." She said in barely a whisper. "Who…What was that noise?"

"That was the men with guns. The others called them, 'mer-sin-aries.' They are gone now."

"Others?" Selina woke up a bit more, she looked around, seeing the carnage around her, the guns…and the three darts lodged in the back of… "Tygrus, you're hurt! What happened here?"

"In a moment, now we must leave."

Quickly detaching her straps, he laid her down gently at the foot of the tree.

"Can you run? I can carry you if you cannot."

"I…think so. Let me try to stand up." She held her head in one hand, grimacing as she placed her other hand against the tree. She planted her feet, and lifted herself up.

"I think it's just a bump," she said with a sigh of relief. She stood before Tygrus, her head coming up to his chest. They seemed to stare for a few seconds, until Tygrus' ears twisted slightly.

"They're coming,"

"Yes, I hear them too, let's go."

Tygrus dropped to all fours and shot away. Selina didn't have time to think about it; she lowered herself to the ground and pursued him. They cut through the jungle like lightening. Twisting and turning around trees at breakneck speed. Letting go of her fear and confusion, Selina began to feel exhilarated. She was running faster than ever before, and she felt no signs of tiring. Tygrus was faster still, in fact she feared she might lose him in the thick plant life, but his scent led her just as strongly. It was like poetry in motion, navigating the forest in ways she never thought humanly-or inhumanly-possible.

Feeling suddenly competitive, she picked up her pace, till she almost pulled even with Tygrus. She turned to smile as they ran, but something was wrong with him. His head seemed to bob, his eyes seemed drowsy. The tranquillizer darts! They were affecting him after all.

She pulled slightly ahead of him and slowed to a stop yelling "Tygrus! Slow down! You're not well."

Tygrus stopped, and slowly rose to two legs, stumbling slightly. "Selina, we need…to keep….to keep moving." He began to fall, but braced himself against a tree.

Selina placed herself under Tygrus' arm, almost disappearing under its bulk. "Just keep walking," Selina tried to sound encouraging. "We got a good head start; they surely can't find us now."

Selina's comparative size betrayed her remarkable strength, but holding up Tygrus was still hard. And Tygrus was slowly slipping out of consciousness.

"Stay awake now!" she said with a grunt, shifting her weight slightly. She needed to keep talking. "So, you're probably wondering why I'm back, and why I look like this."

Tygrus wheezed a bit, "Did…the…thing…I gave….you…"

"Oh it worked, just not forever. I've been like this for about…a week is it?"

Tygrus fought to keep his eyes open, "Selina, I am sorry."

"It wasn't your fault."

"No…I mean, for…not saving you."

Selina sounded surprised, "But you just did."

"Not for long…listen."

Selina turned her head. Yes, footsteps. At least eight pairs. They were drawing close. "Don't worry," she said desperately, "We're going to escape together."

"Must leave…find others…chance they…won't kill…"

"After what you did back there?!" She suddenly realized she shouldn't have shouted. They were moving faster now.

"Goodbye Selina." With that, Tygrus slumped into unconsciousness. Unable to carry him alone, Selina gently lowered him to the earth. What could she do? She had to hide them both. But where? She scanned the area frantically. Nothing…nothing...wait, just perhaps…

She quickly shot over to a small hill, and looked over the side. What luck! A small cave! She propped herself against Tygrus, and using all of her might, rolled him up the incline, and tried to gently pull him over the hill. She was rather unsuccessful on the gentle part, as Tygrus plopped on top of her, his limp body pinning her to the ground. She could hear voices in the distance. They were almost here! She mustered all her strength and moved Tygrus off of her in one push, then rolled him into the mouth of the cave. It went roughly thirty feet down and back. It was dim and damp, and a bit narrow for them both, but it would have to do. Having reached the back wall, she looked for cover. To the left, in a corner, there was a small crevice, just big enough for Tygrus but not both of them. She rolled him over to the corner, then lifted him into it, his back leaning against the crevice wall, out of the line of sight from the entrance. Sighing heavily, she then turned and knelt low, becoming as small as possible, her eyes fixed on the entrance.

The sounds were above them. Heavy footsteps, the clacking of body armor, the cocking of weapons. They echoed through the ground to her ears. Please keep going, she prayed. They stopped. One spoke that he thought he heard the scream from here. Someone gave the order to split up. The footsteps and voices scattered. One, no two were climbing the hill. She could here them stop at the top. And with two loud thumps that resonated down the cave passage to the wall behind them, she saw them at the cave entrance.

One of the men was taller, with straw colored hair, having apparently lost his helmet earlier. The other was short, stocky, and had the face of a pug behind his sunglasses and helmet.

"Got your torch?" The taller man said in an accent that reminded Selina of south London.

"Yeah," the other replied gruffly. "But I don't like this, they don't need flashlights."

"Well take my extra pistol then." He said. "I snuck it out. Keep it on the hush tough."

The pug faced man cocked the pistol and nodded, apparently satisfied. He removed his glasses to reveal two cold, dark brown eyes. They both lit their flashlights and moved slowly down the cavern, staying close to each other, waving their lights all about the darkness. Selina stayed low, their lights going over her head several times. With her eyes, she could see them plain as day, but they seemed to be unable to see in front of their faces without the lights. They were twenty feet away now…now fifteen. Selina thought for sure they could see her. But they kept walking. Ten feet…five. They were almost on top of her. Selina held her breath, and readied her claws. The tall one was at literally a whisker away now. Selina was crouched directly to his left; he was still looking forward.

Suddenly, a transceiver call: "Guys, wrap it up, we have guards down a few miles south of your position. Need assistance, over."

After a brief pause, the tall man responded. "Roger that, it looks like our trail here is dry." They both ran up and out of the cave.

The sounds soon vanished. Selina finally exhaled. She waited a few more minutes, then pulled Tygrus out of the crevice, stopping to pluck the embedded darts from his body. It was difficult. They were small, dime sized and deep into the skin. She finally managed to rip one out, slightly more violently than she had intended, to which she was surprised to hear Tygrus suddenly let out a roar of pain. She had woken him up.

He was still a bit groggy, but he managed to hold still and merely wince as she removed the other two. The bleeding was fortunately minimal. In a few minutes, Tygrus finally felt well enough to sit up and thank Selina for her quick thinking. It was now dark outside, and cave was becoming icy.

"This isn't healthy with you and your open wounds," Selina said. "You rest here; I'll find some dry wood to make us a fire." She began to stand up, but Tygrus grasped her arm tightly, blurting out:

"Selina wait! It is dangerous, I will go." He immediately tried to stand up but only stumbled face first to the floor.

Selina leaned over him and said softly, "I'll be quick, and I'll be careful."

Tygrus nodded dejectedly. Selina then carefully climbed out of the cave. Within minutes she had returned with several twigs and dry leaves, and a small fire was roaring. Tygrus seemed to quickly regain his senses in the warmth of the fire, even commenting on her method of conjuring it.

Selina's slitted emerald eyes showed surprise, "So you know how to make fire? Did you figure that out on your own?"

"I learned mostly from reading some of Father's books. There was one about a foolish man called "Build a Fire" I think. I remember father had a lot of books made by the same man."

Selina sat staring for as Tygrus went on about how strange the cold places in those books were to him before suddenly interrupting, him. "Tygrus!" she said, sounding even more shocked than before, "You can _read_?"

"Father taught me some. Long ago. But he stopped after I had learned only a few words. I don't think he wanted me to read, but he needed to know if I _could_. I would search Father's books occasionally when he was not looking. They were usually much too hard for me to understand, but after I was a alone…I had much time to practice." Tygrus paused and ran his hand slowly above the fire, testing its warmth. "Not everything was burned in Father's castle. Parts of his library were spared."

"That's great! That might hold the information that can change me back!" Selina exclaimed.

As she said this, she saw a look on Tygrus' face that brought her back to that night she left, and she realized how horrible this must be for him. To have his dream dangled in front of him, only to be snatched up again so quickly, but then a slight smile seemed to crawl across his face, revealing a row of fine daggers. The light of the flames danced over them.

"Let's hope so," he said as he lowered himself to his stomach and seemed to curl around the fire. "We still have some way to go to the others." Catching the question in Selina's eyes, he said, "We'll be able to travel a bit slower tomorrow, perhaps we shall share more stories then. For now, we need the rest. Sleep well Selina"

And with that, he rolled slightly to his side, fully relaxed himself and was instantly in a deep sleep.

That was abrupt, she thought. Probably the right idea though. Selina lay on her side, trying to get comfortable on the cold, slightly damp rock floor. For the first time, she began to wonder what happened to the rest of her friends. Had Batman survived? Batgirl? The Cheetah? She'd have to find a way to contact them, but how? She sighed. She couldn't worry about that now, she needed to focus on surviving, and for now that meant staying close to Tygrus.

Tygrus, she had only caught a glimpse of the battle at her landing spot, but she could tell she had been fortunate for him to show up at that moment. She stared at him from across the flames. For the first time since their abrupt reunion she had a chance to simply look at him. He didn't seem as monstrous as her memories. Oh he was certainly fearful to look at, just like the jungle cats at the zoo, but not in a repulsive way. His body had a sleek, elegant design, with a triangle shaped coal black nose tipping a long, squared muzzle, continuing to form a solid gray head, his large eyes closed, long pointed ears laid gently over his head, from which flowed a mane of grey fur, stretching from the back of his head along a back roped with muscles that were simply beyond anything she had seen in man or cat before. Not just the size, but the symmetry, wide in the chest, tight in the waist, then fully padding his thighs and calves. His hands and feet lay limp at his side, twitching slightly, a bit of blood from the fight earlier still clinging to Tygrus' sheathed claws.

His scent also hung heavy in the cave. She thought she could smell all the places he had been the last few days, and even a few other creatures which she couldn't identify that he come across. His scent still declared he was 'alone' however, an unclaimed male.

That last thought shook Selina slightly. She needed to stay focused. She couldn't even entertain thoughts like that, she wouldn't lose her humanity now, after coming this far. She shook her head, took a few breathes to clear her mind, and relaxed. There, she was fine now. She had a lot to do tomorrow. Best get some rest. She closed her eyes, and in minutes lie fast asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Batman, this is Batgirl, respond."

Still nothing. She'd been calling for hours now. If Batman was alive, the transceiver was probably damaged, or lost. Still, what else could she do? Perhaps she ought to focus on finding shelter for the night. Batgirl scanned her surroundings. Some of the trees had fairly large, low hanging branches. She could use her knife from her belt to cut one down…maybe. Plus she had a water proof compressed cover as well. Combining the two, she could make a tent. She needed to get to work though. She pulled out the largest blade her belt carried and began hacking away at a nearby tree branch. It took some effort, but she managed to splinter the stick off of the tree.

Propping it on another tree, she reached in her belt and pulled out a small packet. She ripped it open, and with a few waves or her hand, she unfurled a full sized plastic tent cover. After securing it over the branch, she climbed into her make shift tent. The jungle floor was wet and muddy, but at the moment, but at least the heat and humidity would make sure she didn't catch cold. She tried to prop some leaves against the tree for a pillow, and laid her head down. She tried not to think about the number of bugs around her and attempted to get some sleep.

* * *

Selina awoke gently to the sounds of the slow cackling fire and the morning bird songs that echoed against the cavern walls. As her senses came into focus, she caught a surprising aroma in the air, a heavenly scent of cooked flesh. Her eyes opened, quickly adjusting to the morning light pouring in through the mouth of the cave, and she rolled over to see a make shift spit with two large creatures with rat like tails but cat like ears and faces cooking over the fire, which had been expanded with more wood and with a small circle of protective rocks. She brought herself to her hands and knees and leaned closer. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply, taking in the succulent smell of the roasting meat. 

"Your timing is excellent, they are ready to eat," a deep voice said from behind. Tygrus' came to her side and lifted the stick on which the meat was cooking from the fire.

Selina smiled widely, her fangs were wet with anticipation. She couldn't recall the last time she was so hungry, or when anything had looked so appetizing. With a single twisting motion, Tygrus broke the stick in half, handing one creature to Selina, and taking the other for himself.

Selina didn't stop to think about what the creature she was eating was, or that the head and everything save the hair was still on it. She dug into the flesh ravenously. The meat was a just a tad rare, but this did not bother her. In fact the tender meat seemed to melt in her mouth, and flow down her throat.

She stole a glance at Tygrus as she downed some of the flesh off the creature's back. He ate like a machine, seeming to strip entire sections off at once. Yet he seemed to savor the taste as he swallowed. The piece would cause a slight bulge in his throat as he devoured bite after bite in succession.

He suddenly noticed Selina's gaze, moving his eyes toward her, causing Selina to look away, slightly embarrassed, her tail twitching nervously.

"Does my way of eating seem strange to you?" Tygrus inquired.

Selina replied, her cheeks darkening slightly, indicating she was blushing under her fur, "Oh…no, um…" she replied, "I guess I am a bit surprised you cook your meat."

Tygrus replied nonchalantly, "I can eat either way, though it seems people from your world prefer their meat warmed. I am told it is safer to do so as well."

"Yes, it would kill parasites in the meat." Selina replied. She smiled as gently as a mouth full of daggers can, "You'll have to excuse me Tygrus, you just…aren't what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"I…" She hesitated, unsure what to say.

After a few seconds, Tygrus seemed to lose interest in waiting for an answer and turned his attention back to the nearly bare rodent creature. With one clawed hand, he braced the head of the cat-rat, what Selina finally decided to name it in her head, and with the other he gripped the stick. He then engulfed the creature's skull in his jaws. Selina heard a snapping noise. He removed his jaws, and then took one claw, prying off the skull cap, revealing a sizable brain. Before she even had time to feel repulsed, he'd devoured it in one seamless motion.

As Tygrus wiped his jaws, Selina looked at her own meal. The meat was mostly gone, but she had to admit she could use a bit more. She'd need all the energy she could get, right? As she stared at it, the gut reaction of being repulsed at eating the creature's brain seemed to subside, replaced with an intense curiosity as to how Tygrus had broken into the skull so effortlessly. She tried to grip the stick as he had. Then, after a moment of mustering the nerve, shethrust her jaws onto the skull. The first thing she felt was surprise at how wide her jaws could open, then pain as she nearly broke a fang. Removing her mouth, she saw she had punctured the skull rather messily, but she was no closer to the meat beneath.

She heard a slight chuckle to her side. Tygrus had been watching her the whole time.

"You need to bite lower," he said, pointing to a spot near the base of the head. She tried again, and under the force of her bite, she felt the skull crack open. She removed her mouth, and saw the head unfold like a flower petal. She was satisfied with herself as she moved in to grip the meat by her teeth. But unlike Tygrus, her method was messy, and the brain fell to pieces as she tried to pry it out. She couldn't help but laugh, and soon they both were roaring at her own ineptitude. Selina realized she had never heard Tygrus laugh before. It was a low, booming guffaw which echoed from bottom his deep chest, which resounded throughout the cave.

Finally containing herself, she wiped her mouth and said, "I guess I'm done."

Tygrus smiled and stood up, "Then we should go, while the day is early."

Selina agreed, and after they put out the fire, they exited the cave. The forest was well shaded, light seeping softly through the canopy of trees above. In the day time, it seemed much less dark and foreboding. No longer in immediate danger, she also had the time to stop and truly take in the sights, sounds and smells around her. Since her change the whole world had seemed more alive, more vibrant, but the jungle was worlds above the bat cave. Memories of her first visit, however brief, came back to her. Yes, she thought, she knew this place. The air was full of the moist morning dew. Breathing it in was like tasting the air. The plants seemed almost animate, their various scents filling the atmosphere around them, the rustle of leaves in the breeze creating a cacophony of sound, which mixed with that of the animals around her. She couldn't see many of them at first, though her eyes quickly spotted several birds in the trees, all well out of reach from them, and various insects crawling amongst the dirt and foliage. But in fact she could hear and smell several other unseen creatures, some a ways away, others close by. She counted seven different species, and 14 creatures in all around them. The scents of all but a few were unfamiliar. As they moved out of the cave, she could sense their own movement. She felt their fear as they moved through the forest. All the animal life seemed to make way for them, as if they were paying respects to the rulers and head predators of the island.

She glanced at Tygrus through the side of her eye. She realized that around the Cheetah, Batgirl, even Batman she had felt strangely…threatened. A side effect of her new instinctual feline territorial independence, she presumed. For some reason, Tygrus seemed to emanate a different feeling, a comforting one. Her senses seemed to understand Tygrus meant no harm to her, and she felt no desire to evict him from her territory. Her bestial side, she liked to think of it as an entirely different entity from herself, clearly liked having Tygrus around. Just as well.

"We have enough time that we may walk," Tygrus said, "It is best to save energy, as well as not risk accidentally running into a group of the men who were searching for us last night."

Selina nodded, and they began to walk. East, she noticed. Her sense of direction was keen.

"Thank you for breakfast, by the way." Selina said.

"We needed food, and I awoke first." Tygrus responded.

"The proper response is, 'You are welcome,'" Selina said in mock rebuke, with a slight flick of her tail.

Tygrus smiled and responded, "Then…you are welcome Selina."

* * *

Barbara Gordon glanced out from under her makeshift tent. Wonderful morning she thought. Except she was damp from the ground, her back hurt from how she slept, and her clothes were starting to smell. And itch. Well, best get going…for where? 

She couldn't figure out where the other parachutes had landed, the transceiver was worthless, she had no idea where she was on this god forsaken island that she'd never been to before and for all she knew she was just as likely to run into the people who shot them down as any friendly faces.

As if on cue, she heard footsteps in the distance. Definitely a group, definitely not anybody she knew. Well, even though she had no idea where to go, she'd better pick a direction and get moving.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"…and we were on our way here when we were shot down in our plane. We escaped with the parachutes-that thing you saw me in when you found me." Catwoman continued as she and Tygrus moved through jungle. They walked at a leisurely pace, with Tygrus occasionally stopping to scan and listen, not completely at ease. It had been a few hours since they started, and the sun was nearing the peak of its arc. She had recounted her ordeal in great detail, with Tygrus stopping her several times to ask questions. He was interested to hear her talk about the Cheetah, though not as much as she had expected. Selina seemed to think the idea of a third cat person, one now on this island even, would have almost sent him into shock, but he merely asked a few questions about her and why she continued his father's work. Tygrus showed more curiosity in human technology. He had seen planes fly over the island, but he couldn't see how they could work. Selina seemed at a loss explaining these machines. Of course, he thought, not every human builds every machine. He noticed she seemed reluctant to speak much about her life before her change, Tygrus noticed. After a bit of prodding, he couldn't help himself from asking, she opened up some and began to speak about her love of cats, and her work in preserving endangered wild animals. She spoke about her company, and how she had always imagined Rachel, her secretary, taking it over eventually. She even spoke of her pet cat, Isis, and how she worried about her.

Tygrus eyed her carefully as she spoke. She moved her hands expressively, her tail swaying without care, her ears pointed at the top of head when she was describing the beautiful cats at the preserve she had helped establish, then laying sharply back, as she spoke with venom about the terrorists and businessmen who sought to turn into a resort as a cover to their illegal activities. As she spoke, her face became contorted with anger, her teeth fully born, her voice turning to a hiss. Not used to seeing her angry, the expression actually created a tinge of alarm in the seven foot feline. Catwoman seemed to notice this, and tried to calm herself down, though she let a small snicker escape her. She apparently found Tygrus' concern amusing.

"Keep going" Tygrus said. And so she continued. Truth be told, though he enjoyed her stories, he also wanted to wait until they met up with the others at their destination before explaining his story. There were too many holes he could not fill without their help. So he simply listened. Strangely, he couldn't break the feeling that she was deliberately leaving out something. Then he remembered…

"You have not mentioned the Batman."

Selina's body seemed to stiffen, the tip of her tail twitching.

"It's…complex. He's a friend, but we're…often on other sides of the law"

"The law…" One of Tygrus' ears perked up as he tilted his head, looking thoughtful. "The Batman mentioned that Father had broken the law, or two laws…"

"Yes…" she stopped walking and turned to Tygrus. She was close enough to have to look almost straight up to him; she spoke as if she were uncertain of what she was saying. "Where I come from we have rules to follow. And if we don't follow them we are punished. Batman pursues people who break these rules…" Her gaze began to wander to the side.

"And you…break these rules as well." Tygrus said.

Selina nodded, looking down "I take things that don't belong to me, in a nutshell."

Tygrus put a hand to his chest, "I have taken things from the men who attacked us. Is that the same?"

Selina looked up, smiling, "In a way, though I think these men are breaking a few "rules" of their own. Shooting down planes for instance." She raised a hand to Tygrus cheek. He felt a strong warmth rise in his chest. "Besides," she said reassuringly, "You're trying to survive."

"So you steal…to survive?" Tygrus said. Selina's face became uncomfortable, and she removed the hand on his face; she began to wring them together. Tygrus' face read confusion, "Why else would you steal, if not for food…or to hurt your enemy?"

She looked down for several seconds. Tygrus began to wish he had never asked her the question. He said, "Let us keep walking," in a low whisper, and turned away.

He had walked several feet when suddenly Selina blurted out "That feeling…when we ran yesterday?" Tygrus turned to acknowledge her. "It's sort of like that."

Tygrus was silent for several seconds. He then asked, "Is it like…making a swift kill on a hunt?"

Selina laughed, "Maybe…yes…I suppose it would be. I've never done it myself."

Tygrus walked back, crouching slightly as his immense hand cupped the back of Catwoman's head gently. "Perhaps I can show you sometime."

Selina didn't answer, but continued. "I stole the first time to get back something someone stole from me. But it felt so good, and my life was so boring. I guess I don't fit in too well in the world. I needed something more."

At these words Tygrus' eyes widened slightly, but Selina gently moved out of his hand and began to walk again. Tygrus followed alongside her.

"Of course, Batman chasing me was even more exciting. Sometimes I think he liked to chase me too. But in the end, he was out to stop me from stealing."

Tygrus' confused look returned, "So he was…is…your enemy."

Selina's face became conflicted, "Sometimes it's more…complicated than that Tygrus." She continued, "When I wasn't stealing, we would sometimes help each other. He tried to help a lot in fact."

"Why?" Tygrus asked, his voice was slightly raspy, as if his throat had run dry.

Selina looked up toward the tree tops, seeming to watch the patterns emerge from the light leaking through the leafy canopy above them. The light beams danced across her face, reflecting brightly off her golden fur. Finally she responded, still looking up, "He helps me because he thinks he can get me to stop stealing. And I guess I like having him around to be give me a challenge." She paused for several seconds before also saying, "And I respect what he does. I steal, but I…there's other people who do more than that; who will kill, who live to hurt other people. And at times, I'm convinced only he can stop them."

Selina continued to stare up into space. Tygrus continued to stare at her. He took a deep breath and then said: "Is that all?"

Selina now looked straight ahead, her face becoming expressionless. She seemed deep in thought. "Yes…I suppose. What else could there be?" She spoke in almost a monotone.

Tygrus looked straight ahead as well. "I can think of nothing…" he said vacantly.

They walked quietly for several minutes. It was Tygrus who broke the silence.

"We are almost there," he said. "The others should just be over this hill."

Selina turned her head sharply, "Yes, I've been meaning to ask, who are they?"

* * *

"Who are they?" Batgirl thought to herself. It was a worthwhile question. For all she knew, the missile was just a big misunderstanding, and the people she was running from just wanted to make amends. She wasn't ready to throw herself at the mercy of her pursuers just yet though. 

She knew she wouldn't be able to lose them easily. The thick jungle provided cover, but it was difficult to avoid "blazing a trail" of bent branches. Adding to the problem was how moist the ground was; she was leaving fresh footprints as she traveled. Running was a losing cause. She needed to slow them down.

Noticing a small tree sapling at her feet, she leaned down, and quickly fastened a small stinging gas bomb to it. She took a vine and secured it to the ground. She then took off running. Barely a minute later, she heard a snap and a chorus of coughing and profanity. Bullseye, she thought. They'd be ok, but they would almost certainly have to stop and clean the irritants from their eyes, perhaps turn back. She could only hope.

* * *

Ross slapped Smith across the face. 

"Snap out of it!" he yelled. Smith just sat there, quivering. He had been jelly since he'd come back to base. He'd stumbled away from the massacre that happened just as Ross had left, told another search party he happened to run into to through blubbering lips about the return of the giant grey cat creature, killing four men and rescuing the blond cat woman. And they'd escaped. Smith could barely do anything but mumble in coherently. Ross' persistence got the rough story of what happened out, though from what he heard, the dismembered bodies told the story well enough. This one man, one _creature_ had killed four of his brothers in arms, and left his best friend a shell of his former self. And the last thing he had told them was not to kill one of them. He could barely think. The only thing he could think of was how he was going to kill that son of a-

"Corporal Ross!"

He turned and answered coarsely, "Yeah?"

A middle aged man in a grey suit and tie stood before him. "Please maintain your professional demeanor, Corporal Ross. I have new word from our superiors. Firstly, in case you have not heard, many of the other search parties have suffered failure in their search, though none of them have suffered casualties as your party did. Secondly, we've identified the ship we shot down. It's hard to believe, but the plane is believed to be the vehicle used by the notorious Batman."

Ross' mouth dropped open, then clinched in anger, "You've got us out there, not only searching for blood thirsty monsters with nothing but dart guns and maybe the occasional pistol, with orders not to kill, but now we've got the $& Batman running around out there? This is it. You can either give us more firepower, and I mean a lot more firepower, or me and my entire outfit are going to say "Screw your contract" and go home."

The man's eyes narrowed, "Please remember that our benefactor does not tolerate breach of contract. He will see that any person who breaches his contract will compensate their failure to provide their promised services, by whatever means necessary. These measures include extending our compensation measures to the breachee's family and associates."

Ross stood there, speechless.

The man in the suit's demeanor now lightened a bit, "But such measures should be unnecessary as our benefactor has, over our local administrator's protests, fully authorized the use of deadly force on all personnel trespassing on the island and on test subjects who will not return to the lab. Furthermore, you will be outfitted with new arms, which should arrive within the next five hours. One final note: the administrator's request to our benefactor for more substantial aid which he made in light of the break-in two weeks ago has finally been answered. These new personnel answer directly to our benefactor and arrived by boat within the last hour. They are two professional mercenaries like yourself, with a worldwide reputation. Their assignment, again against administrator protests, will be to pursue the search and elimination of our unwanted guests and faulty test subjects independently. I must inform you, these men have been given clearance to take whatever measures are needed to preserve this project's security, so please stay out of their way. You should receive word on your next assignment in five hours. Be ready."

The man then abruptly turned and left. Ross looked at the ceiling, then at Smith, still drooling on himself. What had he got himself into? He stared at Smith. He hadn't even wiped the blood off of himself. He didn't know what he'd do when this thing was over, but for now, the path was clear.

He had to kill that thing.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Selina tried not to run over the hill. What Tygrus had said was almost impossible to believe. He said there were more people like him, like both of them. That they were being kept in his father's old castle and that he had freed three of them. It just seemed incredible. Finally she reached over the top of the hill to overlook a small clearing in the trees, next to a narrow brook that flowed at the foot of the hill. She immediately saw that Tygrus was wrong. He had said there were three cat people just like them, at the foot of the hill.

There were four.

"Selina!" cried out Barbara Ann Minerva, who was sitting by the water. She ran on all fours to them, while the other three also began climbing the hill. The Cheetah arrived and stood before them both.

Selina was surprised but happy, "I didn't expect to find you here,"

The Cheetah gestured to her right "My parachute landed just north of here. I followed the water, and ran into these folks late last night."

She then turned to Tygrus. Her eyes widened as she arced her neck to look up to him. "And _you_…must be Tygrus."

Tygrus nodded, "Yes, I am Tygrus. Selina has told me much about you Barbara Minerva."

She laughed and moved in closer, placing a hand on Tygrus' chest. "Please, call me the Cheetah, or just Cheetah. It fits me better, don't you think?"

"Very well…Cheetah" Tygrus said, seeming unsure how to react. He then moved forward, gently brushing Cheetah aside, and gestured to the others, who were just arriving. "Selina, these are the others I spoke of. We have been together four about half the cycle of the moon."

"Two weeks, he means," said one. "May I introduce myself?" Without waiting for a response, he continued, "I am Dr. Sebastian Ballesteros. Unlike most of the other subjects, who were kidnapped homeless people, I was a scientist who signed up for this project, not fully realizing the ethically atrocious nature of the experiments occurring at the compound. I knew we were studying the work started by forerunners such as Dr. Minerva, and I have no objection to the controlled guidance of human evolution, but the use of unwilling human subjects appalled me. I declared my intention to expose them, and they decided to make sure I kept quiet by changing me from a scientist to a test subject."

As he rambled on, Selina observed that he had the appearance of a cheetah, just like Dr. Minerva. He was about six feet five inches, with round, dark brown eyes and a lean build. He had been talking to Minerva when Selina and Tygrus had come over the hill. She glanced at the other two, who seemed to be especially bored with the introduction that was quickly becoming a lecture. Clearly he had told this story several times before. One was stocky in build, though not fat; his square shaped body was pure muscle. He comparatively shorter, about six feet tall and covered in jet black fur. At first she thought of a panther, but on closer inspection, she realized he was closer to a black leopard. He had his arm around what had presumably once been a woman. In her new form, her fur also sported a leopard pattern, but her colors were different from any leopard she new of. She had fiery red fur with black spots, with a streak of white covering her front, extending from below her neck to the start of her legs. She was slightly smaller than either her or Minerva.

"And as I was just speaking with Dr. Minerva, er, the Cheetah, I suppose she truly deserves that title, being the pioneer that she is, really, I can't tell you how much her work has meant to me and to finally meet her is an honor." He smiled at her as he said this. Minerva for her part seemed amused at the flattery. Selina noticed he had discreetly walked between Tygrus and Minerva as he talked. He continued, "Anyways, I was just saying that while although the crimes here are unforgivable atrocities, the actual experience for me has for been truly enlightening. I feel like I've gained access to a whole range of experiences and potential that had been lost over the course of our evolution into a race of couch potatoes."

"Thank you Sebastian," Tygrus spoke firmly, cutting him off. Dr. Ballesteros gave him an offended look, but quickly wilted away after one harsh look from Tygrus. "Paul, Dorothy? This is Selina. I mentioned her to you. She's changed back, and as Cheetah must have told you, and she came looking to be cured again."

Paul spoke first, "Yeah, she explained that." He moved forward, extending a clawed hand to Selina, "Pleased to meet you." Selina shook it, and did the same with Dorothy.

Paul continued, "Me and my wife were some of the homeless folks the doctor mentioned. They grabbed us one night while we were sleeping in Gotham Park, and we woke up here. Those first few weeks were hell on earth. It's difficult to talk about." He tightened his grip around Dorothy, who placed a hand on his shoulder, a pained look on both their faces. "But Tygrus, he got us out. They've beefed up security since then. There's still about forty or so people being held captive in there. Big jungle cages, like those at the zoo with see through glass. Most of the people I talked to were the same as us. Homeless, few relatives. I'm not sure what they're doing in there. It's like they're…playing with our minds. Trying to pair men and women up, encouraging some people to fight. They don't give us real food, they release wild stuff in there (sometimes dangerous animals); make us kill it and eat it raw. Those people still in there…they might be completely insane by now. I know I'd be."

Selina's eyes widened. What on earth was happening here? Who would want to continue Dorian's work?

Dorothy turned to look at Selina, revealing a slightly forced smile. "But we get along pretty well now. The guards don't really search for us out here anymore, they're scared of Tygrus." She stroked Paul's chest slowly. "Tygrus has even shown Paul here how to hunt. He's really good at it! Two days ago he caught this bird, as big as an albatross!"

Paul smiled lovingly at her. Husband and wife, Selina thought; that explained why their scents were so intermingled. Like some natural wedding band.

Tygrus now spoke, "The first men came to this island six months ago. At first I stayed out of their way, but as I watched them closely, I found out they were bringing in people as Selina was brought in years ago. I decided to try and do something. My attempt to break in was clumsy, but I did escape with the people here."

"No one else escaped?" asked Cheetah.

"Actually" Sebastian interjected. "A few others did get out. Or if they didn't then a few others might have somehow escaped since then, though that's unlikely with the new security measures they have. We're not sure how many are running free on the island. There's several to the north and northwest, at least one to the south of here, and we think a few might be hiding in the jungles directly west of here. There could also be others on the other side of the island but we'd never know, as we've stayed on this side since our escape. The problem is they won't let us get near them. The psychological trauma of the transformation, combined with their new feline tendency toward territorialism, has made them hopelessly paranoid. Most live by themselves, although I think we saw one couple, and one pair of females. Fortunately for us, we've managed to maintain our human 'social' tendencies."

Paul continued, "We've seen at least seven, seen evidence of more. But we're pretty much on our own out here."

"I'm glad to meet you all." Selina said. "Now I guess the next question is what to do next?"

Paul spoke first, "These people you came with, if we found them, could they call for help?"

"They may have already," Selina said. "But we can't know for sure. I think finding Batman and Batgirl would help us out regardless."

Sebastian interjected, "I imagine their signals are being jammed. No outside radio contact was allowed except by the administrator. Also if we move from our part of the island, the mercenaries might move against us. We'd be totally outnumbered. And we have no idea where to search. If you landed near here, they can't be too far themselves. We'd be better served staying put."

The Cheetah spoke up, "He makes a good point, but I still think we could scout our general area."

Tygrus looked to Selina, who finally nodded, "I will personally continue looking in our area. Those who wish to help me may do so if that is their choice."

"And plan B?" Paul spoke up, "What if we don't find them? Or if we do and they can't help?"

Selina spoke up, "We could try another run on the castle, maybe even find a way to contact the outside world there? Or at least help a few other people, disrupt their project."

"No!" Tygrus said firmly, "It is too dangerous."

"But you did it before…"

"And nearly died," Sebastian said. "And now security is even better. I've seen it myself."

Selina moved next to Minerva's side, "Ah but…" she said slyly, "Now you have two of the world's greatest experts in breaking and entering with you. What do you think Cheetah? Wouldn't you like to at least check it out? I'm willing to be we'd find hundreds of flaws in their security system."

Minerva seemed intrigued, as well as flattered by Catwoman's comments. "Might be worth a look over…"

Sebastian jumped in, "While I still say it's extremely dangerous, I trust Cheetah's judgment on this matter. She and Catwoman surely ought to be able to evaluate the feasibility of another raid.

Dorothy spoke up, "I want to be rescued as badly as any of you, but isn't even getting that close to the castle dangerous?"

Paul placed a hand on her shoulder, "We need to take some risks at some point."

Her voice was pleading, "But can't we wait a little bit? At least see if we find Batman and Batgirl. You remember them Paul? They saved us from a gang once, in that alley on Baker Street. They could probably break into that castle and take down all those guards by themselves."

Selina stepped forward, placing a hand on her other shoulder, "I appreciate your concern. You're right; we should look for Batman and Batgirl first."

"Then it's settled," Tygrus said in a tone which preemptively dismissed any objection. "Our first priority is survival; our second is to find Selina and Cheetah's friends. We will choose what to do next when we find them…or when we give up searching."

With that, they began to mingle with light conversation. Dorothy seemed impressed to meet Catwoman, insisting she had seen her being chased by Batman one night across the night sky, even though Selina couldn't exactly recall what encounter she was referring to. Selina, however was distracted by the fact that Minerva was showing an inordinate amount of interest in Tygrus. Tygrus, for his part, seemed uncomfortable with her attention, while Dr. Ballesteros constantly kept trying to squeeze himself into the conversation. Selina didn't need the ability to detect pheromones by smell to see what was happening here.

After a few uneasy minutes, Tygrus excused himself and moved to Selina. Taking her lightly by the wrist, he said, "Selina, I would like to show you something further on up the river. Will you come with me?"

Selina nodded, and the two of them began to walk up stream. Glancing back, she thought she noticed a harsh look coming from Minerva, while Sebastian tried to change the focus of her attention. Paul and Dorothy, for their part, took the opportunity to disappear into the forest, hand in hand.

They walked up the stream, not speaking. Seeing Minerva talking to Tygrus had made Selina feel odd. Why did it bug her? Minerva was the one who wanted to stay a cat. And even with news of forty other members of her species trapped in a cage on this island; Cheetah's chances for companionship were limited. You couldn't blame her for pursuing Tygrus. After all, he was practically a feline Adonis.

No, she thought, stop it. She shook her head, imagining her human side screaming down her cat side. Tygrus noticed and asked if she was ok. Selina assured him she was fine. They continued walking in silence, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the river.

* * *

Batgirl had been moving for several hours now without as much as a whiff of anyone. She finished off some of her rations. They were small bars with enough nutrition to satisfy her needs with about two a day, if she took enough time to rest and not burn all her calories. She checked her belt, there was enough for six days, if she stretched them. Hopefully, that would be more than enough. Looking around, she evaluated the land she could see. She needed to develop at least some sort of plan beyond running. The trees and foliage made seeing ahead impossible however. The trees…perhaps if she climbed one, she could obtain a better view of the area.

Scaling the tree easily with a few tools from her belt, she looked out across the island. Off to the distance in the west was a large castle, which looked like it had been recently renovated. Recalling Batman's account of the destroyed lab, she surmised that someone had decided to rebuild. But for what purpose? She couldn't see much of interest to the east or north, but to the south there was a steady increase in elevation, leading to some cliffs, with a large waterfall. She decided that was the place to go. Maybe from a higher vantage point she could see even more of the island, or maybe signal someone? Perhaps a passing plane? It was as good a plan as she could think of.

Sliding carefully down the tree, she turned to begin walking, only to come face to face with a tiger. No, a lady. No, both. But more tiger than lady

"Who are you?" she hissed. She was hunched on all fours; her head low to the ground, her hips arced high with her tail up as if in warning. Had she been standing, she'd have been four inches taller than Batgirl. She had pale orange fur with black stripes. Her eyes were hazel brown, but almost totally dilated in the dim light. All her claws were out.

Batgirl stood in a defensive stance, her hand ready to reach for her belt. "I'm Batgirl, I don't want to fight you." Another cat person? This woman wasn't Tygrus obviously. But Batman and Selina said he was the only other one on the island.

The tiger woman began to circle her on all fours. "You're going to take me back! I'm not going back!"

"No! I'm not going to do that!" she said, unsure what 'taking her back' might imply. Is she being chased by the men who had chased her?

"Liar!" she hissed. "You think I'm hungry enough that I'll go back don't you?"

Barbara noticed for the first time that she looked rather thin. Her ribs were visible.

"I won't go back! I won't starve! I'll find food, even if I have to…eat…you!"

She leaped at her, claws extended, jaws wide revealing gleaming fangs. Batgirl rolled out of the way, and in one motion tossed a smoke bomb at her. It sent her into a fit of coughing. Batgirl readied her batarang. If that didn't make her decide to leave, she feared she would have to resort to more violent measures. For all she knew, the tiger woman was once human, and she knew she could talk. She was desperate, and obviously confused. Batgirl didn't want to hurt her. The cat was still pretty agile, but she looked weakened enough that Barbara could subdue her without harm.

The smoke appeared to be irritating the tiger woman's senses greatly. She finally leapt away into the brush. Barbara breathed relief. Time to move on, she thought. But she would keep an eye out for a return visit. Given that she was a cat and Barbara hadn't showered in a day or two, she could probably smell her for miles. She could only hope that with everyone else finding her on this island, her friends had to eventually be next.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"It's beautiful!" Selina said. Before her stood a clearing with a pool of water which was fed by a waterfall about twenty-five feet high. It poured violently over the edge, creating a mist that pervaded the area as it foamed at the bottom. It was guarded on each side by tall, lush trees, and on close examination, one could look through the falling water to a small cave behind it.

"I am happy you like it." Tygrus said smiling. "We come here often. It is our bathing grounds." He stared off towards the cliffs in the distance. "There's actually a larger waterfall near those cliffs. I used to go there often, but the guards' presence is too strong now."

Selina moved to the lip of the pool, and lowered herself on her hands and knees, her nose close to the water. It was clear as glass, she could see to the bottom several feet down. Its smell was pure, refreshing. She looked to Tygrus.

"I could use a dip? How about you?"

* * *

Ross loaded his weapon. AK-47, basic, but plenty effective. He wondered why the change in heart by this "benefactor," whoever he was. Especially over the protests of the administrator, whoever _he_ was. Seriously, here he was, fearing for his life, losing his friends, all working for people he didn't know. If he ever got back, there'd be hell to pay. Somebody would hear about what went down here.

But that was the future. For now, he had one task: take down a certain cat freak. All the other guys were a buzz about the two free lancers they'd just brought in. No names for sure yet, just rumors. They said they were more assassins than mercs. That they'd kill a bystander that got in the way as soon as their target. That they'd worked successful missions against metahumans. That everyone else might as well pack up and go home, because they'll have the cats taken care of by breakfast tomorrow.

Well forget it. It didn't matter if he had a squad behind him or not. Oh they could have the kittens. But he was than man that was going to bring big grey down. And nobody was getting in his way.

He strapped extra ammo, and some smoke grenades to himself. Time to check on the boys.

* * *

Tygrus leaned his head back, letting the pouring water flow over his face, down his chest and back. He opened his mouth, and stream of cool water filled his mouth. He loved being cleansed. Smells fell off of him, like he was washing away layers upon layers of the island that had stuck to him. Of course he never totally removed it, but the smooth feeling after his fur had dried, free of dirt and grime, felt wonderful, invigorating. Selina, however, was enjoying it even more than he was. She ran her hands over her body, through her fur, turning to make sure every angle was washed. At one point she actually moaned in satisfaction.

After they were satisfied, they came out of the waterfall's stream onto the cool rock of the cave, the stream cascading behind them, creating a roaring echo against the red rock walls around them. Tygrus laid on all fours, and began a mighty shake of his body, sending large globs of water everywhere. Selina shielded her face, then gave Tygrus an amused look. She apparently wanted a better way. There weren't very many towels nearby of course. Then she sensed a breeze. She followed it, finding a hole in the cavern wall, where a strong blowing wind came through. Much more civilized, she thought. She walked toward the opening, and found it to be much like a cool, natural blow drier.

Tygrus sat; watching with intrigue. She stood in front of the opening, stretching her arms, rotating her body as her shimmering blond fur, brighter than ever after having been cleansed of the island's impurities, blew in the breeze. The warmth in his chest rose again. Selina turned to him, and smiled.

"Something on your mind?"

He did not lose his composure, but merely smiled in return, "Yes actually…come, I have something else to show you."

* * *

It was getting late, the sun had turned orange. Soon she would need to contemplate finding a place to rest. A second night alone, she thought. Suddenly, she thought she hear a rustle in the trees above her. Perhaps not _that_ alone. She scanned the thick trees above her. There was nothing she could see. She opened up her belt and took out an extra ration. She looked up and shouted.

"I'm not here to hurt you! If you need some food, have some of mine! Just leave me alone!" She then tossed the ration into the bushes.

She waited a few seconds. Nothing. Lying against a tree, she contemplated starting a fire. And maybe attract those men to her? She doubted the tiger woman would care about a fire. She guessed that somehow, someway she was an experiment connected with the men who were chasing her. She was more a confused woman than an animal. Not that that made her _less_ dangerous. She pulled out a knife, and held it close to her chest.

Batgirl tried to recall the last time she felt scared to go to sleep. She was a nine. She wasn't scared because of the boogeyman, or the monster in the closet. Her dad, still a lieutenant, was staked out on a hostage crisis. There had been shots fired. She didn't want to go to sleep because she wasn't sure her dad would be there in the morning.

Morning did come. He sat by her bed, with a fresh new teddy bear. She kept it in her bedroom to this day. Suck it up Barbara, she thought. You're not a little girl anymore. In fact…

She pulled out her transceiver. She'd been calling Batman every now and then, just in case. It was mostly therapeutic, like having someone to talk to. She clicked the send button and practically shouted into the device.

"Batman, no Bruce, if we get out of this, things are going to change. I'm in my mid twenties now; I've almost completed my Master's in Information Science. I've proven myself over and over again, and you recognize this. From now on, my name is Bat_woman_, you hear me? I'm a full equal now. I know you pay for everything in the Batcave, but on the field I'm every bit the detective, every bit the fighter you are. I…"

Her voice trailed off. Lowering the transceiver, she looked up through the trees at the slowly darkening sky.

"I sound really pathetic don't I?" Maybe she'd feel better in the morning. Cat or no cat, or who or whatever was out there, she was going to get some rest. She propped herself against the tree, her knife still clutched to her chest, and tried to relax.

* * *

The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon. From atop the cliff, next to the roaring waterfall, Selina could see the castle off in the distance. She could also make out the cliffs to the south, and a bit of the larger falls Tygrus had mentioned. She recalled how menacing the island had seemed the first time she had come here, even that first night running from the guards. And the specter of the lit castle was still haunting. But against the setting sun, with the chorus of night creatures waking up around them, it was different. She wouldn't say the forest; the island no longer had a sense of danger, or of fearful mystery. There were too many wild things, too many dangers lurking amidst the trees and brush to say that. But now, amidst that darkness also rang splendor, intrigue and excitement.

"This is wonderful," she said to Tygrus, who was standing next to her, "Thank you."

"You are welcome," Tygrus said, still staring out across the expanse. "I often come here by myself. But I am glad to have someone to share it with."

Selina looked up to Tygrus, reaching high to place a hand tenderly on his shoulder. "You don't have to be alone anymore Tygrus. Cheetah is fine with being who she is, and it seems like some of the others are as well." Tygrus turned and looked down at her. His glossy yellow eyes were dilated in the evening light; his magnificent grey coat blew softly in the breeze. His scent…Selina began to continue, but was cut off as Tygrus took her hands in his, and spoke softly in his deep bass tone.

"Selina, they may choose to keep their new form, they may even choose to stay here. But I wanted to share this with you. It was you who opened my eyes to the lies father told me. The knowledge at first drove me to despair, but I have grown satisfied with the truth. I told you as you left that there was nothing for me anywhere. I now see that was wrong. This island is where I belong. Not because of my father's intentions, but because I choose to make it so. Because I choose to see the good parts of it." At this his voice and demeanor changed to reflect a sense of determination. "That is why those who have invaded this island must be stopped. They are repeating father's lies." He paused for a moment, as if to let this sink in, then softened his face.

"Selina, I wanted you to know I have found purpose here; that I have learned to see beauty in this island, despite what laws father may have broken here." Tygrus' paused and swallowed deeply. Selina noticed a change in Tygrus' face. He demeanor always displayed a fearsome primal presence combined somehow perfectly with a strong sense of personal dignity and focus. Yet he almost seemed to be unsure of himself. After a moment however, he composed himself, and now conferred an aura of perfect certainty. "Father was wrong to do this to you. I wish I could change that, but I cannot. I understand you must try to become human again, and return to your people. However, I wanted you to see how beautiful you are, right now." He leaned his head forward. "To me."

Selina stood still, unsure how to respond. She gazed directly into Tygrus' eyes. He was the design of a madman, mixing the DNA of various animals to create an unfeeling killer, his picture of the "ultimate life form." Yet those fearsome, fiery amber eyes conveyed feeling, intelligence…beauty. She smiled, her hands still in his. "Yes, I think can. Thank you for being so kind Tygrus. Thank you for everything." She rose to the balls of her feet and placed a light kiss on his cheek. Then, gently taking her hands from his, she backed away slightly, still smiling. She looked to where the sun had just set. A silver moon now hung in the sky. "It's late. We have much to do tomorrow, searching for Batman and Batgirl. Perhaps later in the day you'll have time to teach me to hunt." She then casually turned and walked to the side of the flowing river, five yards from where it poured over the cliff. The air was warm, the sound of the roaring waterfall almost hypnotic. She kneeled down, and turned her head back to Tygrus. "I'll be turning in now. Yourself?"

"Not yet," he said. "I am not used to going to sleep at sun set. I usually hunt at night. But I will rest soon. Do not let me keep you awake."

She nodded, and lay down flat, almost melting into the grass. Tygrus turned to look out over the cliff. He kneeled down, and gazed out into the stars silently.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

She could hear the roar of the waterfall in the distance. Finally! Batgirl had begun to wonder if she had lost her direction. She hadn't seen sign of anyone since last night. In one sense this was comforting, given her experience with the island inhabitants so far. But it meant she was still alone, having spent two nights on the island with no sign of rescue.

The forest opened up suddenly. Before her was a massive waterfall, at least 250 feet high, foaming into a massive pool. To the right, she could see a pathway that led up the cliffs. Hmm…man made, apparently this was well traveled. She'd better watch her back.

After a brief scan the area, she concluded it was safe to take a moment to stop. She was incredibly sweaty, and the prospect of a bath was too good to turn down. Securing her equipment to a bush, she removed her outfit, and dipped herself into the cool water. She sighed deeply; it was like putting on new skin.

* * *

Selina held her nose to the air; eyes closed trying to catch some familiar scent. After a sniffing several times, she sighed and said, "I can't catch any scent of either of them, how about you?" Tygrus turned to her, "I do not smell them. I can still recall the Batman's scent, and I'd catch a human female scent immediately. All the guards are men."

"Yeah, and their smell is all over." Paul interjected, with his nose pressed to the ground. Looking up, he said "They must run a patrol through here. This is their territory." He stood up and said nonchalantly, "Guess we gotta turn around now. Maybe we can try further south tomorrow."

Tygrus didn't respond. His head was looking straight up. Catwoman arced her head slightly with a curious look on her face. "Tygrus?" He finally looked to them and said, "Paul, please return home. Me and Selina will search a bit more here."

"Are you sure?" Paul asked, confused.

"Yes, we will be fine." Tygrus responded.

Paul shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself. You two watch yourselves, I'll be entertaining the miss. I'm sure she'll be glad not to have to play third wheel to those two doctors anymore." With a quick turn, he cut into the forest, his black furred body disappearing into brush like a shadow.

Selina stepped up to Tygrus, still befuddled. Then she smiled, "Tygrus…you wouldn't be just trying to get us alone are you?" she said, sounding slightly like an offended parent.

Tygrus did not change his expression, but continued to look up into the trees again. "Selina, do you smell anything in the trees?"

Selina turned her nose upwards, breathing in deeply. After a moment, she said, "Yes, it smells almost like…gas on the tree leaves…wait, could that be…" In a second, she had climbed onto a tree branch, 18 feet in the air. She shouted down, "Yes…there's the scent of fuel and debris in the branches. This is the trail the bat plane left as it crashed. I think I can follow it to the crash site!"

"Let us do so then. But be careful. We are in their domain now. If they have found this plane first, they may be guarding it."

Selina nodded. Tygrus joined her in the trees. They were thick, the branches powerful enough to hold even Tygrus' massive frame like it was nothing. They moved across the jungle, springing from branch to branch, high above the forest floor, following the trail of gas and dust. It hung heavily in the air, so clearly to her nose that it was almost visible. She wasn't sure what good finding the plane might do. Batman and Batgirl would have ejected and been far from the plane's landing site. Assuming Batman and Batgirl did eject safely, otherwise…well perhaps the plane would still have a functional radio or other supplies. Heck, maybe he put a tracking beacon for himself that could be accessed from the plane. Regardless, right now it was their only lead.

Not sure how long a trip they had, Selina decided to ask Tygrus a question that had been eating away at her for a long time. "Tygrus, could I ask you a question?"

"Certainly Selina," he said, perched deftly on a thick, vine coated tree branch.

Selina continued, "Why me? Dorian made you, if you'll excuse me, from scratch, why hadn't he made others if he wanted a mate for you, why did he not make one when he made you? Why wait and turn me into a cat?"

It was a personal question; one Tygrus couldn't be expected to answer or even know the answer to. But Tygrus became very quiet for a moment, then look to the side, apparently at nothing for several seconds. Just as Selina began to retract her question he replied, "I am not the only experiment. I am the only one that survived."

Selina saw something in his eyes that told her this was not a pleasant memory. "I'm sorry Tygrus, just forget that I-"

"No," he interrupted as he lept to another branch, "I will explain, but let us keep moving."

They resumed following their path, soaring from tree to tree across the intersecting branches of the jungle canopy. Tygrus continued, "According to father, there were 20 of us. Only five lasted more than a year. I can recall having two brothers and two sisters when I was young. At least I thought of them as brothers and sisters. However, all but one of them died before I was eight years of age. Something was wrong with them, they were 'imperfect' my father said."

Tygrus continued, "The one who survived was a female. Her name was Panthera. She was black as night, with sky blue eyes." He seemed to become slightly wistful. "We were not blood related of course. She was not created to be a sister, but a mate. I did not understand what father meant at first when he told me this, but as we grew, I…saw her differently. And she I." He smiled. "I loved her, I loved father for creating her, for creating us both. She was perfect to me." His smile slowly dropped, and he became stoic again. "But...she was not perfect…"

Suddenly, they both stopped. They could see ahead a small clearing, where several trees had been leveled. Through them, they could see the bat-plane. Or what was left of it. It had been wrecked in the crash, but the real damage had clearly been done deliberately. Whole parts ripped off, wings, bits of the cockpit. And there was little doubt as to the responsible party. A group of three men with visors and blowtorches cut apart the plane as they watched. They were guarded by a group of fifteen guards. Too many even for the both of them.

"Those are not the same guns from before…" said Tygrus quizzically.

"They are assault rifles, they kill," Selina said in a hushed voice, "we must be careful. Perhaps we should go back…"

Tygrus turned suddenly, holding his hand up to signal Selina to be still and silent. He turned, slowly, the look on her face told him she had sensed it as well, a large patrol of guards had come while they watched, and set up a wide barrier around the general area, unwittingly creating a circle around them along with the plane.

They were surrounded.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Selina froze still, her body rigid. Through the leaves she could see armed men in every direction, mulling about. She prayed they wouldn't look up. How bad a camouflage was blond fur? Slowly, she looked to Tygrus. He was still as well, watching the men intently. Without looking up, he raised his hand, watching her out of the corner of his eye. Then with a single motion, he motioned in the direction of a nearby branch, and silently darted toward it, Selina close behind. They repeated the process, bit by bit, slowly reaching the outer rim of the circle. Fortunately, guards hardly ever look up. She knew that fact well.

Suddenly she heard one of the mercenaries talking. It sounded vaguely familiar. Both looked down to see one of the patrolling group.

"Those two you iced are small potatoes. We're looking for the group with the original troublemaker. We believe they're close to the river, about a night's march from here. I'm ordering you to follow us. We can complete this foraging operation later."

"I haven't received orders from our administrator…"

"These orders are from higher up. Somebody needs those cats put to sleep. Don't tell me you'd rather collect trash all day."

The man laughed, "I suppose I can't turn you down Ross. But if I get any crap from-"

"You won't. We'll move out in ten minutes. Make sure your men know, this isn't a capture mission like the others. The gloves are off."

A chill went down Catwoman's spine to the tip of her tail. The fur on her back stood on end. She glanced to Tygrus, whose expression was one of stone.

"Alright, give us a few minutes to gather our things; we should be ready to move out in about thirty minutes."

They continued to speak, but a nod from Tygrus told Selina that now was the time to leave. Gathering her courage, she put the conversation out of her mind and deftly leapt to the next tree. They both continued to traverse the jungle canopy until they were sure they were safe.

Perched lightly on her branch, Selina turned to Tygrus, who seemed to be staring into space. "Tygrus, we have to get back, we have to warn the others."

"Not I," Tygrus said, still staring ahead, "You must go, I must go further north."

"But Tygrus…"

Suddenly he turned to her, and her whole being seemed to stop. Tygrus' eyes, always fearsome, now held a look of determination that told her he would simply not be stopped, and was nothing she could say to change his mind. It was a look she had only seen in one other person before…

"It is not enough for us to run now, Selina," Tygrus spoke slowly and clearly, his unblinking gaze never wavering. "They will not leave or allow us to hide forever. They wish to kill us. All of us. And they will not stop until they do so. Our only chance…is to kill them first."

Selina was stunned by his words. She opened her mouth to object, but nothing came out. Because she knew he was right. To these men she was an animal, a failed experiment that needed to be erased. She and the others were facing genocide, their only hope, it seemed, was to turn it from a massacre of innocents into a war. Selina slowly nodded. "But how?" she asked. "There's too many of them, and they have all the guns and training.

Tygrus spoke coldly, "I know this island better than they. And do not underestimate your own powers, or the others. They have shown remarkable skill. We still need more help however. That is why I must go north. There are other of…'our kind' in the forests there. They can perhaps help us. Once they hear what the guards have planned, they must know that they must join us or be killed."

"But," Selina said, "How can you be sure they will come?" They knew nothing of these stray cats. And cats by nature were independent to a fault. She would know.

Tygrus' gaze did not move, "As I said, the choice is joining us, or death."

Selina stared, unable to speak, Tygrus took her head gently in his paws. "Selina," his voice was softer, but no less determined, "You must, reach the camp before they do. I know that will not be a problem. But then you must take them north along the river. There is a cave you may rest at, but no more than perhaps an hour or two. Keep going for about a day until you reach a fork in the river. I will meet you there. If you have problems, the trees in that area grow as thick as grass; you should be able to hide. Do you understand?"

Selina nodded, her eyes fixed to his. "Selina…" he continued, "Catwoman, I will meet you at the fork in the river before two nights have passed. You have my word."

With that, he touched his muzzle to her forehead slightly, and then said sternly, "Go, time is short."

She nodded and somehow finding a way to compose herself, she turned and raced through the forest on all fours. Up to this point it had seemed like they might have time, time to search for Batman and Batgirl, to find answers, to perhaps find a way to observe what was going on at Dorian's old castle. But all that had to be put aside now. Her worries of where Bruce was, whether he was ok, whether she would be human again…the reason she had come here…didn't matter. Survival was what mattered.

Did it? She did not slow down, weaving around the trees like a blond blur as the thought came to her, if she could never be human again, would she still want to live? Would it be better to die than live life forever as an abomination?

Her eyes narrowed, and her speed increased. Stuck like this or not, Catwoman wasn't going to be done in by a bunch of thugs with guns. Not so easily. Neither Tygrus, nor the others, deserved to die like this. And she'd be damned if she let it happen.

She had to move faster. Outrunning the mercenaries was no problem, but she needed to find everyone, explain the situation, and put as much distance between them and the mercenaries as possible. It was going to be a long night…


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Batgirl pulled her cowl back over her face. Getting her costume reasonably clean had been a pain, but she'd managed to reduce the smell to a tolerable level. She turned to pick up her utility belt, and started when she saw it wasn't there. Panic ran through her, as she realized it must have taken while she was occupied scrubbing the grime off on her suit.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid she repeated to herself, half out loud. They're probably long gone by now. Still, why just take the belt and not go after her? Unless…

Scanning the ground, she saw some tracks behind her, leading around the corner of the stone wall of the waterfall. They were the shape of a bare human foot, yet the soles and toes resembled a cat's paw.

Her feline stalker had caught her off guard. At least she no longer seemed intent on having her for dinner, now that she knew there was food in her belt. Silently, she crept around the corner were the tracks led, to see the same tigress/woman crouching, her belt in her paws. The tigress reached for a pouch on the belt, only to rear back as her hand met an electrical shock, visible from where, Batgirl stood. Confused, she reached again, only to be met with the same sharp pain. Desperate, she tried to aggressively rip at the pouch, perhaps thinking she could work through the pain. But instead an even larger spark laid her on her rear. With a growl, she flung the belt in disgust, landing at Batgirl's feet. Seeing her, she reared in fear, preparing to flee.

"Wait!" Barbara shouted. "Don't go. Only I can use the belt. If you want food, I can give you some." She reached down and picked up the yellow band. Only one "unauthorized" person had ever cracked open one of Bruce's special belts. And that was Lex Luthor, after a day's worth of tinkering and a room full of high tech equipment. "Here," she said, pulling a bar of rations out. "We'll share lunch, ok?"

The tigress didn't move. Barbara sighed, and tried to sound diplomatic. "Look, I'm Batgirl, maybe you've heard of me. My plane was shot down. I'm separated from my friends…I…thought we could help each other."

She kneeled down, offering an open hand with a bar of rations. Slowly, the tigress slinked toward her hand. Reaching forward toward the brown, plain looking bar, cautious, but almost shaking with hunger, she suddenly stopped, and looked up.

"I'm…n-not an, an-animal" She stuttered, "I-I'm not…some wild beast for you to feed…"

"I know," Batgirl said, smiling, "But you do need food. Look, you probably know more of what's going on than I do. Have some food, and we'll talk, OK?"

In an apparent affirmation, the tigress snapped up the bar, and greedily devoured it. Batgirl leaned forward, trying to be as casual as possible.

"So, your name?"

The tigress wiped her mouth, and swallowed. "Amanda," she said. "I was…am, from New York. They grabbed me off the streets. I'd only been out of my house for a few days, I was going to find a place at my aunt's. But they brought me here, with all the others and…"

Batgirl placed a hand on her shoulder, "Just take it slow ok? I came with Batman and a few friends that were changed like you were. I was wondering, have you seen any others like you, like a cheetah, a blonde cat, both female, or well…Batman?"

Amanda shook her head, "Honestly, there's so many of us here, I wouldn't know if I did probably, but I don't recall seeing them." She looked up, "You're going to save us right? You can change me back?"

Batgirl tried to smile, and sound confident, "We're here to find out what's going on here. And we'll do all we can to help you. But I need your help right now, OK?"

Suddenly, Amanda started, "Someone's coming! Not friends…run!"

"WAIT!!" Batgirl shouted, but it was too late. In a flash of black and orange, she vanished into the bushes. Barbara was on her own. She grabbed a batarang and stood in fighting position, facing the bushes.

Her poise was broken by an roar, followed by an in human scream, then silence.

"No…"

Out of the bushes, emerged the lifeless body of Amanda, impaled through the heart on the end of a long blade, being led by a man in black body armor, with a mask, half black and half orange covering his face. Lowering his victim to the ground, she slid off his blade, which he promptly cleaned, still holding an unmoving eye firmly on Barbara.

Batgirl spoke, almost in a whisper, "Slade…Slade Wilson."

He spoke smoothly, but firmly, with a stoic tone, "Yes, I see Robin…Nightwing now is it? Told you much about me. But please, let's keep this professional. You may call me Deathstroke, the Terminator. Or merely Deathstroke if you like."

"Why…"

"She was part of my contract…and so are you I'm afraid."

Batgirl reared back to throw, when she heard a cocky, sinister voice from behind.

"Not so fast little girl."

She turned slowly

A masked man dressed in gray body armor, with a single, glowing red laser eye piece was perched high on the rock above her. His arm had a wrist mounted gun, and it was pointed directly at her.

Deadshot.

"I guess you never heard of a distraction before?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Batgirl stood still, her batarang still in hand. Deadshot moved from the rocks toward her, his aim never wavering. Deathstroke stood still, wiping the last bit of Amanda's blood from his blade. She'd heard of Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke, from Dick Grayson. He was a mercenary for hire, deadly beyond belief, one with whom he'd fought many times, almost at the cost of his life. Deadshot, real name Floyd Lawton, was a professional assassin. He had met up with Batman before, when he'd been hired to try to assassinate Aquaman. He failed, thanks to Batman, and was picked up in prison by a secret government project. As part of a small task force, they had infiltrated the Justice League's satellite watchtower. She was in over her head.

"Lose the belt. And drop the toy" Deadshot ordered. She tossed her belt and batarang to the dirt. He continued toward her, confidently. "Stay cool lady, we're not supposed to kill _you_." He was almost at arms length now.

Deathstroke suddenly spoke, "Deadshot, watch out…"

It was too late. Deadshot had relaxed, just a bit, and suddenly found himself flying over Batgirl's shoulder. He landed hard on his back, and sat up just in time to see a yellow boot swing at his face. Deadshot's head snapped to the ground, and he lay still. Batgirl turned to leap to her equipment. Deathstroke met her there, as she anticipated, and she managed to catch him off guard, kicking the blade from his hand. She flipped back, as Deathstroke reached for his sidearm, only to see it missing. Looking up, he saw it in Batgirl's hand. In one motion, he reached to the ground, and let fly the discarded batarang, striking the gun from her hand.

They stood across from each other, motionless for a second. Then Deatstroke spoke:

"You're thinking of running for it. I can assure you that won't work. I'll track you down instantly. You've managed to disarm me, now is the only chance you'll have to take me out without my gun." He lowered himself into a fighting position.

"He's goading me to fight him," she thought. "Somehow, that's what he wants. I don't know if I can beat him…but it looks like it's my best shot."

Without speaking, she leapt with a spinning kick, hoping to catch an early knockout. Slade blocked it easily. She followed with a flurry of jabs and kicks. Her opponent dodged and blocked, almost causally. "He's letting you burn your energy," she told herself, "He knows you must be tired." She backed down slightly, and tried to be more deliberate, selective with her blows. She followed a jab with high kick, only to be thrown from her feet. She rolled and landed in fighting position.

"Interesting," Slade said, his voice sounding quite genuine. "Your style is almost identical to Robin's, yet…more aggressive, and more prone to risky maneuvers. You're a fearless fighter. This should be a great test for me."

Who was she kidding? Robin was never able to completely beat this guy hand to hand, did she expect better? She needed an edge back. Careful not to look, she feigned one direction, and then shot to her utility belt, still lying in the dirt. With a roll, she clutched it. But as she stood up with belt in hand, an object shot by, stripping it out of her grasp. She turned to see a dagger pinning her tools to a tree. So Deathstroke had a few weapons in reserve after all. He'd been testing her, why, for his own amusement?

She turned, with a look of disgust on her face. "I don't like being played with." Her words were ice. But she could almost detect a smile under his mask. She lunged at him, striking harder, more viciously. Deathstroke laughed, but suddenly cried out in pain, leaping back and grabbing his left shoulder, just below his neck. He slowly removed his hand, gripping a tiny empty syringe.

"I had a few things up my sleeve as well," Batgirl said, her voice dripping with satisfaction as she pulled her gloves tight.

Slade fell to one knee. "Got…under my armor…amazing." He lay on his shoulder, head drooping. "I imagine…you often win…when your opponent underestimates you."

Batgirl approached her fallen opponent, pretending to sound offended, "Can't give me credit can you? Well it's what you get for teasing a woman." She stood over him, looking triumphant. After two days of bad luck, she was ready to gloat over making her own break this time.

"Ironic…in two ways….one…I pride myself…on never underestimating…anyone."

"And two?"

Suddenly, he leg swept her, knocking her off her feet. In one motion, he struck her temple, and she fell into blackness.

"You underestimated me."

Not really fair, he thought. She couldn't have known he had been injected with sedatives so many times over the course of his career, he'd developed a degree of immunity to them. A larger dose might still have worked, or at least knocked him woozy. As it was, it had merely made his shoulder numb. He swung his arm in circles several times, trying to speed the flow of blood. He turned to retrieve her belt, unsure what he would do with it, having observed silently the tiger woman's frustration. But his employer would surely be interested.

But when he looked to the tree he had pinned it too, it was gone. He turned, unsurprised to see a dark figure under the shade of the trees.

"Ah, perfect timing. After the fine showing by your students, I'm eager to face the master."

* * *

The night fog coated Gotham city like a blanket. A menacing, dark mist of a blanket. But it hopefully provided some cover. Bounding from across a rooftop to finally, reach her destination, Selina stopped to catch her breath. She peered through the window glass as rain pelted her from behind. Her pale white skin peered at her from under her mask through the reflection, revealing the stress of the past day. She she'd crossed the line this time, and she was going to get the treatment normally reserved for the Penguin, or even the Joker. They were looking hard, she knew it was only a matter of time before they found her, either the Batman, or perhaps Gotham police this time. She didn't have much time left to make her point. Best be prepared to make the most of it. After carefully scanning the rooftops to see if she had been followed, she lifted the glass, and silently slid through. The warehouse stunk with the smells of cat urine, feces, coughed up blood and spit. Bounding down from the upper rafters, she landed deftly on the concrete floor. At her feet were cats, or what was left of them. Many simply lay there, close to dying, fur falling out, eyes bleeding with infection. She kneeled down and petted one gingerly.

"You! Let me go you witch!"

She looked up to see a blonde haired woman of just over thirty, though she could pass for her late twenties, even disheveled and stressed as she appeared. She wore an expensive blue fur robe, and her hands were tied over her head against a warehouse pillar. Diseased, dying cats crept in circles at her feet, rubbing against her bare ankles.

Selina glared furiously at her. "I'd hoped some time with the hard reality of your actions would have softened you up a bit. But you don't get it do you? These cats suffered under experiments at _your_ company. On experiments _you_ signed off on. All to find a way to make your overpriced crap products cheaper!"

The woman's eyes narrowed defiantly, "You're insane, you know that? If you think these cats look bad, you should see what you'll look like when I'm through with you! Or when my lawyers are through with you! You'll be sent to the worst prison you can imagine! For the rest of your life! You crazy-argh!!"

A one eyed, deformed, mostly hairless brown cat was intently rubbing against her in a pathetic display of affection. "Get off of me you rat!" She kicked the cat across the room. It smacked hard against an unmarked wooden crate and fell on its side, where it lay motionless.

Selina shot a sustained, pitchfork sharp glare at the woman, unable to do anything but seeth for several seconds. The woman smiled. "Oh please, I probably put it out of its misery, don't you think…wait, what are you…doing?" Selina was holding her gloved, open hand before her face. Each finger was tipped with a claw that gleamed under the moonlight that shown through the warehouse windows.

The color drained from her face, her blue eyes wide beneath her tangled blond locks. "Listen…maybe I could pay you, make a donation…"

The claws dug into her shoulder, tearing her robe and the flesh beneath it. She screamed. The shock of pain seemed to unhinge her. Fear replaced irrational rage. She cursed Selina.

"Now you're dead b! I'll have them hunt you down! You'll never forget me! You won't recognize your own face in the mirror after I-AAIIIIIIEEEE!!!!"

The searing pain of sharpened steel slicing into her skin ran across her face, cheek to cheek.

Catwoman picked up a loose, flat steel tile to show the dim reflection of her face to the woman. Her wide, trembling eyes beheld a face with four parallel, bleeding cuts across her face.

"Don't you like it? Your own set of whiskers!"

It was then she heard his voice.

No, not him. Not now

She turned to see his figure emerge from the doorway, having arrived just too late to stop her, but just soon enough to see what she had done.

Beneath his cowled face, his mouth set hard, holding back a barely contained rage. But his eyes said more. Those eyes…so long she had tried to keep this side of her from his eyes. Though a thief, she had led him to believe she wouldn't harm anyone. That at least there, they had something in common. But she had unleashed her rage, shown him how cruel she could really be. She had crossed the line.

She couldn't move for what seemed like hours. And all the time he just stood there, those eyes, those eyes with the passion, the determination of a lion, the eyes that had compelled her to seek him out the first night he interfered with one of her robberies, now spoke nothing but righteous anger to her.

Finally she moved to speak, but stopped when she realized she was unmasked. In fact her suit was gone. She was naked before him…no…she was covered in fur. She lifted a hand, still covered in blood, but the claw was no longer steel, but was an extension of her body.

Those eyes…

Suddenly a blind rage engulfed her. She leapt wildly at him, flailing her claws. She had to make those eyes go away. They tore, ripped, shredded the figure away as all else seemed to melt around her. But the eyes still stared at her, seeming to pierce further and further into her soul, boiling her, causing the rage to rise out of her like dross.

She shouted in between primal screams. She shouted about never being good enough, about not his not accepting her, about his self righteous attitude, believing herself less and less, her rage only rising.

Suddenly only the eyes remained. But they no longer were Batman's. They were amber, feline eyes. Large, they held the same spirit and passion of Batman's. But the rage seemed subsided. The hate drained out of her, she stopped her attack. She searched the eyes. Somehow, deep behind them, there was something else. It was pain, and loneliness. A deep, unbearable loneliness.

"Tygrus."

He was there, towering over her, his size overwhelming her. Her body went limp, she could not move. He moved closer, his mouth seemed to move in to kiss her. But suddenly she felt engulfed in darkness. Looking down, she saw that Tygrus was devouring her. She seemed to be hanging in space, and below her feet, past the closing jaws she saw Gotham Batman. She blinked, and in place of Batman was Bruce Wayne. He was reaching…but she was being pulled in. The jaws closed…

Catwoman opened her eyes. She heard a splash to her right, and she turned her head, her eyes focusing as she saw Dorothy bathing, right at the fork in the river. Through the trees, the eastern light leaked through, signaling the rising dawn.

She felt cold, and she realized she was wet with the morning dew. She moved to all fours, the moist, grass covered ground giving slightly under her weight. She shook the moisture from her fur.

Selina curled into a crouching position. The dream was slowly coming back to her. Old memories. She hadn't attacked him, she had run. She couldn't bear the shame. She looked at her padded, animalistic hands. She had worried about her losing her mind to some animal instinct, that she was becoming a feral beast. But it wasn't Dorian's serum that had made her attack the woman. That was her; at her worst, her rawest…her truest. She buried her face in her hands. Cure or no cure, she could never escape that side of her. Because it was her. Batman, even after that, he believed in her. He had reached out to her, even just before they left. But even with those eyes, he couldn't see deep enough to realize the truth about her. As she sat there, Dorothy continued to bath in the pool, and began to sing a song, sounding positively giddy, her voice resounding with the soft sounds of the forest morning, almost mocking her with their ring of innocence.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Deathstroke had hardly spoken when he found himself tied up and lying in the sand. Batman had shot the net from his gun almost as soon as Slade had seen him.

He spoke mockingly from on his back, "Hardly sporting of you."

Batman approached methodically, "I don't care about playing games with you. Lives are at stake."

"Very well then, I'd expect nothing less from you." He suddenly cut through the net in one stroke with a small blade he produced from his sleeve. He then flung it at Batman, who dodged easily. The eye peering through his mask seemed to darken, the inflection in his voice showed no emotion. "Let's get down to business then."

They circled carefully, each looking for an opening, exchanging occasional strikes, neither managing to score a blow. Slade attempted to slide toward his discarded weapons several times, only to be cut off each time. He watched carefully for any movement Batman made toward his belt. But no move was made. Not out of any sense of honor, Deathstroke guessed, but because he felt using gimmicks would only open him to a mistake.

The stalemate continued for several minutes, while in the sand about fifteen feet away, Deadshot began to recover consciousness. His eyes opened to see Batgirl lying silently on the ground. He silently turned his head to see the battle, with Batman's back to him. As his vision began to focus and his mind cleared, he realized the opportunity that had fallen into his lap. Quietly, he raised his right arm, his wrist shooter clicked-

A flash of light and smoke burst from his wrist. A bat shaped blade was lodged in his weapon. The explosion knocked him to the ground. Batman smiled at him, only to turn suddenly to strike Deathstroke, who had moved to catch him off guard.

In fact, Batman had counted on this, and in lunging to grab his perceived opportunity, Slade made himself just vulnerable enough. Before the mercenary could realize the mistake he'd made, his head was in Batman's grip. One turn would end it.

"Talk, who are you working for? What is your mission here?"

"Shut up and finish it."

"You think I'm joking?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But you're not getting anything out of me."

"Then-uh!"

Batman slunk to ground, a dart lodged in his back. Deadshot lay on his side, rasping for breath, as he lowered his left arm. It'd been awhile since he'd been _forced _to shoot left handed.

"You owe me Deathstroke. You can repay me by leaving me alone with him."

Slade rubbed his neck. "No such luck. You know our contract. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get your precious vengeance later." He picked up his sword, wiping the dust from it. "Now get me the tiger."

Lawton slowly rose to his feet. "It's gonna be a pain dragging all three of them back. She's just a corpse anyway, can't we…?"

"I'm miles ahead of you. Actually I have very special plans for her. In the near future, we're going to have to deal with several of them at once. Including the big one, and perhaps the Cheetah and Catwoman. We'll need a psychological advantage. Fear will do." As he said this, he went to retrieve the smaller blade he'd thrown at Batman. Sheething his sword, he reached down to pick it up, holding it gently.

"As always Deadshot, this mission will require a surgeon's precision."

* * *

From atop the hill over looking the stream, Selina sat watching Dorothy splash around in the water. The two cheetahs were resting quietly on the water's edge. She turned around and glanced up to see Paul not far behind her, in a tree, either on watch or sleeping, she wasn't sure. They'd made it to the rendezvous point, now they just had to wait for Tygrus and whoever he could gather.

How long would he spend searching for them? And then trying to get them to come? They could be here for days waiting. And if something happened to him…no, that wouldn't happen. Not to Tygrus. She couldn't consider that. As long as they were undiscovered, they could wait here indefinitely. She had done her part; she had to trust Tygrus to do his.

Tygrus, she thought back to that look in his face as he gave her orders. The same look she had seen in Batman at his most determined. He had purpose now; protecting others of his kind, protecting her…he wouldn't fail. Any moment, he'd come out of the woods, new allies in tow.

Suddenly the sound of something landing beside her snapped her out of her daydream. It was Paul. "You're awake!" he exclaimed. "You slept for almost a whole day. You really wore yourself out getting us here."

She smiled, "Hello Paul. So it's been a day. Tygrus should be here soon enough. Maybe a day or two, depending on how long it takes to convince the others."

Paul grinned, "I can tell you're eager to see him."

He smiled even wider at her reaction. "Don't worry about it, it's only natural. Well…as 'natural' as anything can be in our situation."

Selina looked at Dorothy in the water. "You and her…you're comfortable with this? What you've been turned into I mean. Why?"

Paul shrugged. "Our situation wasn't ideal back home. Dorothy always had faith, it kept both of us going. When we found out we couldn't have children. Even after I lost my job and couldn't get another one. Even when we lost our home. Even after…this. She figured us being saved by Tygrus was proof that this was all for a reason. Honestly, I could never say that with her conviction. But the funny thing is, I could never provide for her as a man, any other woman would have left me for someone competent. But here, as a cat…you should have seen her eyes when I brought back my first kill, a big bird thing. I'm finally able to take care of her. And trust me, compared to cold, hard, city streets, a soft jungle floor, seems downright heavenly. It's been so long since I've seen her…genuinely happy like this. Not just trying to prop me up all the time. All things considered, it's not too raw a deal. For the time being."

They were both silent for a few minutes. Finally Paul mentioned they should go inform the others that she was awake.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Catwoman suddenly found herself faced with an old enemy: boredom. Truth be told, she knew she should welcome a break in the recent action. It wasn't as if Selina Kyle couldn't appreciate the value of relaxing, especially in what was, thugs and mutant animals aside, a tropical paradise. But it was a false peace to her. She couldn't quiet her anxious mind knowing that Tygrus was out there with a homicidal army looking for him, not to mention Batman and Batgirl still missing. Still, if she'd had something to occupy her time, it would have been tolerable. The happy couple was spending as much time as they could alone together. Paul had taken to calling his wife "Dot" (he thought it was a clever play on her fur pattern) and she was calling him Shade. Their act was getting to her stomach. The not so happy couple of Sebastian and Barbara had been discussing issues surrounding the experiments going on at the castle. Ballestros' suck up act was still rather transparent, but Minerva seemed genuinely interested in his information, if not exactly him. That was entertaining for awhile, but ultimately tiring. So she began to isolate herself as much as she could.

Not that she could go anywhere to _be_ alone though. Circumstances dictated they stay put. Any exploring of more than the immediate surrounding area was too dangerous. And the fish in the river were plentiful enough that she couldn't use hunting as a valid excuse to take any risks. She tried testing her fishing skills, but sadly she had the technique of grasping fish out of the water barehanded mastered in a mere hour. So she offered to take "guard duty" at the top of the hill overlooking the river, without bothering to suggest a time anyone should take over for her. Their hide out was at a fork in the river at the bottom of a sloping hill, with a steep stone formation hugging the west side of the river for about a mile and a half to the south, while the fork seemed to cut directly into the rock, creating two pathways guarded on each side by stone. From up top, she could see directly east into the forest, and down river to the south. If they needed to, they could retreat further up river, perhaps climbing the stone walls to the plateau above, or shoot into the thick eastern trees. She guessed Tygrus chose this site because they only needed to really watch the south end, but still had multiple routes of escape. So Catwoman perched herself atop a tree branch and fixed her gaze south, looking for signs of Tygrus (hopefully) or (if they were unlucky) a roaming death squad.

The first day came and went. Minerva relived her briefly once during the night, but at first dawn she demanded her post again. Another day passed, mostly with her laying lazily on a tree branch, one arm swinging to side along with her tail. Night fell; and once again Cheetah offered to take over, this time with Balestros to help. He simply insisted, though Selina sensed she was tiring of him. She once again lay down by the creek bed, the soft sounding flow of water gradually putting her to sleep.

* * *

"Catwoman, wake up."

She looked up to see the outline of Tygrus hanging over head. His body blocked out the moon, its light shimmering around the edges of his frame.

For a second, she thought she was dreaming. She reached one hand forward, running a padded finger through the fur on his jaw. The soft sensation made her realize she was awake. She smirked, still prone on the ground. "Hey Tygrus. Glad to see you're back."

"Yes, my search was successful; I found several other cats."

Selina sat up and stretched her arms, looking around her for new friends. But no one else was around; not even Dot/Shade or the Cheetahs. She gave a confused look to Tygrus, who pointed out toward the line of trees atop the hill.

"They are waiting in the forest; I wanted to make sure you were here. I also wished to test your guard. I slipped by the Cheetahs unnoticed. They didn't even smell me. Next time, you should assign that duty to Dorothy; her eyes are the keenest I know.

Selina scratched behind her ear, looking slightly annoyed. "I wanted to leave her and Paul alone to…enjoy themselves. They might not have much time to in the coming weeks. But point taken." She moved to all fours and stretched her whole body out, arching her body taught, then relaxed on her knees, facing him. "So why wake me up without the others?" She leaned forward on her hands, grinning widely, "Another excuse to see me alone?"

Tygrus was silent for a moment, then slowly leaned forward as well, his muzzle just before hers. "Perhaps," he said, his voice soft yet serious, "Does that bother you?"

"No…" she said. Suddenly she stopped, her voice stilled, her body tense; she was flirting like she used to with Batman, but Tygrus was serious…he could read her physical cues, her scent, surely he remembered she couldn't…she needed to stop. She couldn't let him be hurt again.

She sat back on her heels, and made her face stoic, "We shouldn't keep your new friends waiting. I'll wake the others, we'll meet back here."

Tygrus nodded, "Of course, they are tired, but we should not delay introductions." He started to rise, and then stopped, "I almost forgot. Catwoman, you did well bringing them here, just as I knew you would. Thank you." He brought his hand to the side of her head, and brushed his muzzle against her cheek. Before she could react, he was off.

She sat still for a moment, then moved to all fours again. Just find the others, she thought.

There were eight newcomers. Plus six made fourteen altogether. They all gathered in what could be liberally defined as a circle. Some sat by the river, others lounged in trees nearby, seeming almost bored, except when Tygrus, who slowly patrolled the space on all fours, came near. At Tygrus' request, they introduced each other, one at a time, giving their name, age, and whatever skills they might possess. As they did, Selina made mental notes in her head, assessing what they had at their disposal:

Paul and Dorothy revealed themselves to be in their late twenties. Paul had demonstrated some proficiency at fighting and hunting, and "Dot" had proven effective at hiding and spying on the enemy.

They had the two cheetahs, both good doctors, one an excellent thief.

To this they added: two female jaguars, 19 with silver fur and 21 with orange respectively, who seemed protective of each other, a 17 year old male panther "but only for another week," and a smaller, rather malnourished lynx couple in their mid thirties. None seemed to have many skills aside from surviving both the Gotham streets and a deadly jungle. Which admittedly was nothing to scoff at.

However, an older, gray cat was a Vietnam vet, and a cougar had been 24 year old former army reserve member that had fallen on hard times. Finally a 28 year old Siberian tiger woman stood up. She was 6'8", stocky yet muscular, easily the second biggest of them, though well behind Tygrus.

That of course left Selina and Tygrus. All and all not a bad set up for their…what should she call it? A pride? Still, in the end they were just a bunch of scared people in unfamiliar bodies, up against trained soldiers of fortune. Most of them had been homeless a few weeks ago. It was also clear that some of them had only come under at least a degree of duress from Tygrus.

"So…what exactly is your plan big guy?" The cougar had an aura of skepticism in his voice.

Tygrus turned and looked straight at him, which shriveled his bravado considerably. "We stay here, and when they come…we kill them. Together."

There were several moments of silence. The older of the jaguar females spoke. "My sister won't kill anyone. She can't, even if her life depends on it."

Tygrus' voice was balanced, controlled. "Not everyone need fight." He paused, as if he wasn't confident about that statement, "Perhaps not everyone. But we need everyone to help prepare, to watch, if we wish to win against them."

"This is stupid!" It was the cougar again. "They've got almost forty armed thugs working for them!"

"Fifty-four," Tygrus said calmly. "There was at one time seventy-one…but I have eliminated twelve from their ranks, and five have succumbed to disease. At last check, the party that hunts us is made of thirty-one."

Now the cougar's ears turned down, and his voice growled through borne fangs. Tygrus had hurt his pride, and that anger was enough for him to work through his fear of the larger cat. "So we're outnumbered, and they have all the guns. Assault rifles you said? You think we can take them? You're crazy! My chances are better on my own."

He turned to leave. No, Selina thought; hot head or not he was too valuable towards the coming battle. And he would strike doubt in the rest of the…ok, pride it was.

She leapt in front of his path, startling him. He turned his fangs on her, this time with a hand of unsheathed claws reared back in threat. "Get out of the way!" Behind him, Tygrus crouched, ready to attack.

Selina showed him her own fangs, eyes narrowed, body tensed to defend herself. "You think they'll just forget you? You don't think they have a record of you and everyone they kidnapped? That'll they'll risk leaving a scrap of evidence of what they've done here?" She lowered her voice, but not her guard. "Staying together is our best chance to survive. Our only chance."

He turned to look behind at Tygrus, and realized how poor his position was. He tried to maintain an aggressive pose, but his voice broke as said, "We…we can't be expected to stand against two to one odds with no weapons. It's suicide. I'm army, I know this."

Tygrus moved closer, relaxing his stance slightly. "You are cat now. You do not realize what you can do. I can teach you. All of you. The land is in our favor. Trust us."

Suddenly a voice spoke up, light, but distraught. It was the younger jaguar. "No! I don't want this! I don't want to fight! This isn't my body! I won't…learn…" She broke down crying in her sister's arms. Selina approached gently, the older sister eyed her cautiously, but she seemed to be disarmed by her demeanor.

"Listen," She said softly, kneeling next to her, "If we're going to find a cure, we have to survive." She placed a hand on her shoulder, claws safely retracted. "We won't force you to do anything. Just stay with us. It'll be safer, and if you can, we'll find some small way for you to help. Ok?"

After a minute she composed herself, and nodded silently. Her sister mouthed a quiet "Thank you" to Selina. Selina moved back to Tygrus' side.

"Whoever wishes to stay, must agree to work together to help the rest. We will discuss our strategy tomorrow morning. For now we should sleep."

"Amen to that," Minerva said. Without waiting to be dismissed, she turned toward the lake, Ballestros in tow.

Each person or couple began to scatter, looking for a private place to rest. Dorothy offered to keep watch during the night. Tygrus and Catwoman simply waited for everyone else to leave, then laid down in the grass.

"They have skill, but we need time. We need time to prepare and to learn. But the guards could be on us at any moment. Tomorrow we must start as early as possible. Otherwise…"

For the first time, Selina noticed how unnaturally tense Tygrus' muscles and tendons were. His eyes looked heavy. He was clearly stressed. All that work getting them here, convincing them to come along…he was going to burn himself out at this rate. And then he'd be no good to anyone. She had to get him to rest.

"Tygrus" she said as she placed one hand on each shoulder. "You need to relax. We'll handle this all in the morning. Just take your own advice and sleep for now." She wrapped both hands behind his neck, standing on her toes just to reach, and pulled him down even with her.

He slowly moved to one knee, not fighting her pull. "Selina, I am fine, I merely-"

"Relaaaaax…." She gently touched her nose to the hallow of his neck. His voice stopped. His breath, then his heartbeat slowed down. All the fur on his body seemed to settle. A few moments passed. Then, cautiously he placed his own arms around her waist. Selina gasped slightly. But she felt no fear.

"Very well…tomorrow." Slowly, they unwrapped their arms. Tygrus lowered himself to the ground. Selina did the same. They laid on their sides, gazing silently into each other. Finally Tygrus spoke, "Goodnight…and thank Selina…you helped much tonight…again."

"Thanks, you weren't so bad yourself." She smiled slightly, "You make herding cats look easy."

Tygrus' face became confused. "It's a human expression big guy. Just get some sleep."


	21. Chapter 21

**Ch. 21**

The pungent stench of mildew emanated heavily from the dungeon walls. At rat dashed into the shadows as Batman stirred from his sleep. Slowly he took note of his surroundings. He was on a wooden bench in a stone room. There were no windows, only a set of steel bars on one side, through which he could see a hallway lit with halogen lamps, an anachronism with the rest of his medieval surroundings. It seemed safe to assume he was in Dorian's castle, though he didn't recognize this room. There weren't many castles on the island.

His cough echoed throughout the dungeon. This place was too damp; he was going to catch pneumonia. Especially without anything to keep him warm and dry.

Like a shirt. He finally realized he'd been stripped to his boots and pants. His belt and all his gadgets were gone. They'd been thorough about defanging him. Everything was gone, every tool confiscated, every secret pocket emptied. Wait…then what about…he felt his face. His mask was still there.

Over the last few years he'd built safeguards into his mask, like the ones in his belt. But none of them had been activated. He could tell by just running his hand over it. They hadn't even tried to take it off. Maybe an insane Arkam inmate wouldn't care about his identity outside of Batman, but why would Deadshot, Deathstroke, or whoever hired them for that manner, not at least take a peak?

He stood up from the bench, and quickly balanced himself. He walked to the bars, and was surprised to see no guards. What? Were they understaffed? Maybe they were down the hall. He called out, his voice echoing against the stone walls.

The sound of footsteps came from out of sight. Unable to fit his head through the bars, he stood and waited until an armored man, his mask pulled back, came into view.

"So, you're finally awake. I'm paying those amateurs to leave me alone with you by the hour. You were starting to put a strain on my account."

"Where's Batgirl?"

"In another part of the building. Try to escape, and we'll kill her."

"Who hired you?"

"You're not in a position to pry my client's name from me this time Batman." Lawton's look grew cold. "You know, after the failed Aquaman hit, my cred took a considerable fall. I haven't forgotten that."

"No, I suppose you haven't. But I'm surprised…" He looked back and forth, and then seemed to whisper. "I guess Amanda Waller isn't paying much these days."

Deadshot turned his back to him. "Don't know what you're talking about. Don't worry by the way, no bugs, or cameras in here."

"Task Force X ring a bell? Project Cadmus? How's Clock King? Or do they not talk to you much after you left Plastique to die in Justice League Headquarters?"

"You know as well as I do that Cadmus is kaput. The government's through trying to kill superheroes."

"I also know that your service was four years. Don't expect me to believe they just let you go after they saved you from the electric chair."

"So you think that the government is doing this?"

"No, I think Waller has you undercover. You're here to spy on whoever is behind this."

He continued to look away, but Batman could almost sense his smile as he spoke, "And if I was?"

"Then we're both here on the same mission, whether you like it or not. If you won't tell me what you know, at least relay a message to Waller for me."

He turned, smiling wickedly. "Believe me Batman, you'd better hope you're wrong. Because you see, working for the people running this freak show? I can't just kill you. They want you alive for the moment; someone even insisted we not unmask you. Strange huh? Much as it pains me, it would kill my cred even further to break my contract for a personal grudge."

He leaned a bit closer, "But if I work for Waller…maybe I could just tell her they're making biological weapons here. Maybe I'd get her to just bomb this place until nothing is left."

"No one will know you killed me."

Deadshot's voice was icy, "I'd know…" He paused for a moment, then stood up straight, composing himself. "Fortunately, you're wrong. It's just me. After I finish with you I'm heading toward the west side of the island to go hunting for…well, I'm not supposed to divulge these sorts of things but I figure you're smart enough to figure it out for yourself."

"They're performing genetic experiments here and they've gotten out of hand. Now they want you and Deathstroke to hunt them down."

"You're good. Well, I've got to go; Slade's already got a head start on me. But I'm sure I can catch up. I just wanted to be here to tell you one thing." He became serious again for a minute. "Think about this while you're sitting there. Twice I've had you in my sights, and twice I pulled the trigger. The first time Superman did his faster-than-a-speeding-bullet thing. This time the only thing that kept you alive was my word to my boss. You might say I got lucky, but trust me: Someday, I'll have you in my crosshairs again. There won't be anyone to save you. And I won't be packing tranquillizers. And you'll be dead."

They stared for a moment. Finally, Deadshot turned to leave. But Batman suddenly spoke up. "Maybe. Maybe it'll be you. Maybe Two-Face. Maybe one stray bullet from one alley punk with a gun. It doesn't matter. I knew what the stakes were the day I put on this mask. You shoot me, my only regret is that I didn't put more scum like you away."

Deadshot waved his hand dismissively. "Save your voice. I hear the man in charge here wants to talk to you anyway, so maybe you'll get some of your answers. Until then, enjoy your stay. I can't tell you everything they have planned for you, but I'm betting before it's done, you'll wish they'd let me kill you."

* * *

It'd been a full day. From dawn till dusk, they'd been practicing, learning maneuvers. Selina had forgotten that Dorian had not merely made Tygrus, but saw that he was trained in the arts of combat, hunting, and even jungle warfare to a degree. It was clear now that Dorian had not truly meant for Tygrus to be a "mindless" beast. In fact, he desired his mind have all the problem solving, adaptive skills of mankind's devastating intelligence. Such things would only make him a more efficient, deadlier killer. It was human empathy he had wished to keep him from. The heart, not the mind, made creatures weak in Dorian's philosophy.

They had dismissed for the day, and the pride had scattered across the valley. The two former military members seemed to be practicing one of the moves Tygrus had taught that morning, a quick, lethal thrust to the throat, in one of the few openings in the mercenaries' armor. Dot seemed to be having a concerned conversation with Cheetah, while everyone else, save Paul who was out on watch, and Tygrus who had gone off on his own, was engaged in activities in the river. The younger cats splashed around playfully, while the older ones tried their hand at grasping fish. Selina contented herself with washing the day's grime from her fur. Stepping out of the water, she fell to all fours and shook the wetness from her. She was getting better at it. Glancing at her reflection in the water, it struck her how unkempt she looked. Selina hadn't given a tremendous amount of thought to her appearance over the last few weeks, but it struck her that even if she was an abomination from nature at the moment, there was no reason she had to be untidy. She straightened her fur out, licking in down in few places, and gave herself another look. Not bad, all things considered, she thought. The other cats were beginning to crowd her. She should go check on Tygrus. Just to see what he was doing. He shouldn't be alone. She stood up from the river bank and began walking up toward the hill where she had last seen him. The Cheetah met her half way there. Her eyes were narrow, ears turned back.

"Going to see Tygrus again? You've been spending quite a bit of time together. I guess you've got to get in your time with him before we break into the castle and find a cure. That _is_ what you're still looking to do right?"

"It's no business of yours."

Minerva moved in closer, slowly showing more teeth as she spoke. "I can accept competition, I'm not as keen on being deceived."

"What? You think this is a game? Barbara we're fighting for our lives here. Now is not the time to start some stupid high school drama."

The Cheetah smiled, "C'mon Catwoman, don't be naïve. We're always fighting more than one war. Besides…we're cats, not pack order loving dogs. It's not in our blood. We're all playing along with Tygrus because we know he's the strongest. He's best chance each of us individual organisms have for surviving." She started to circle Selina menacingly. "Honestly Kyle, I would have thought you'd get it. You never cared to play the human 'game.' Society's rules and could never satisfy you. You never stole for cash. You did it for the thrill, to rebel against a world that wanted to domesticate you. But here, we're back to basics. Yes Selina, it's a game, the ultimate game. To survive, to adapt, to bring others under your influence…and ultimately, passing on your DNA with the best possible candidate. Don't look so disgusted. It's life at its most pure, stripped from all the petty things we add on because some are too weak to face the fearsome, wonderfully grisly truth."

"Well, that was quite a speech. I was beginning to wonder if you were ready to turn in your super villain membership card." Catwoman said after a few seconds of contemplating snarkier responses.

"Don't make me laugh. We're both villains Catwoman. Cut through all the crap and you liked Batman for the same reason we both like Tygrus: We recognize an alpha male when we see it."

Selina fought back rage, though the growing smile on the Cheetah's face told her she felt she was getting to her. "Don't act like you know him. Or Tygrus for that matter."

"And I suppose you think you know Tygrus? You've seen him for what, for days of time including all those years back?"

"I know enough to know you'd be disappointed."

"We'll see."

After a pregnant pause, Selina exhaled and simply shook her head. "Look, whatever you think, I just thought Tygrus could use some company. If that bugs you so much you can come along and we'll discuss strategy for tomorrow."

Before she could respond, the young panther...what was his name? Tom came running up the hill. "I hate to interrupt, but we have a situation involving Yolanda."

"Who?" Cheetah asked.

"The middle aged, shorter…the lady who was a lynx remember? She has a problem."

"Sebastian's a doctor too you know."

"It's a…woman problem she says."

Barbara placed her head in her hands for a moment, muffling a frustrated curse.

"Fine. I'll be right there." She turned to Selina. "You know what? Go do what you want. I get what I need eventually. And we all know you're just setting Tygrus up for disappointment anyway."

The Cheetah stormed off to toward the water, with Tom hanging significantly behind her.

Selina looked back up the hill, then back to the river. Perhaps, despite it all, Dr Minerva had a point. Maybe she should avoid being alone with Tygrus. It'd just confuse him about her desires. When she was around him, she felt a bit confused herself. It was for the best.

She heard a distinct rustle in the grass just over the hill, and looked up to see Tygrus peaking out over the horizon.

"Selina! Could you come up here? I wish to speak with you."

Tygrus apparently had something he wanted to tell her…maybe she could ask him to wait until…phft, forget that.

"I'll be right up!"


	22. Chapter 22

**Ch. 22**

His eyes had a glassy indigo hue. His fur was blood red with bright white stripes that merged to cover his underside from his waist to his mouth; a vicious maw filled with perfectly placed fangs that gleamed as it hung open, motionless. His coat wrapped his muscular frame, showing only one flaw, a bullet hole above his left breast, pooled with blood.

"Sir, the female went east further into the forest. I think he was covering her escape."

A man with coal black hair held his helmet in his gloved hands, as he crouched before his kill. The evening light splashed across his graveled face.

"Sir? Corporal Ross?"

"We're not looking in the right place."

The man standing above Ross blinked from behind his visor. "We've killed eight of these things so far."

Ross turned his head and stared straight through him "We haven't found a trace of our primary target! I want the big one."

Ross turned and stared at the dead tiger creature before him. Some of the men behind him shuffled around nervously.

"I'm checking with Deathstroke" he said curtly.

Ross pulled out a communicator. "Alpha squad calling Terminator. Do you read?"

After a moment, a voice came through. "Yes Corporal. How goes the hunt?"

Ross swatted away the largest mosquito he had ever seen. "Negative on the big one. What's your status?"

Deathstroke's voice was casual. "I've taken position on the north side. Extremely quiet up here I'm afraid. Deadshot may catch up with me after all. I'd continue down toward the waterfall if I were you."

"Fine, keep us posted. Ross out." He clicked off his receiver. He muttered a curse under his breath.

"Something bugging you?" One of his men said through a thick Russian accent.

"He's found him and wants them all to himself. He's trying to lead us further away from them."

"How…"

"He was way too generous with advice. And the tone…trust me on this. We're going north."

* * *

Tag, such a simple game. One person chasing another. But really, what else had her encounters with Batman been? From her perspective anyway. Of course Catwoman had never gotten the chance to chase _Batman_ around Gotham. If she had, it might have felt a bit like this. She leapt from one branch to another, then flipped in the air as she descended to the moist floor below. She rushed through the brush on all fours, pursuing Tygrus through the evening light. By now she was used to seeing him move so quickly, but still was amazed that such a large creature could move with such speed and agility.

He eluded her for several minutes, laughing occasionally as she grasped at him, catching nothing but air again and again. Tygrus was faster and could jump higher than her. Every time she seemed to come close, he escaped her by a hair. He seemed to be toying with her. She had finally found a test for her limits in this body.

Selina noticed that he had to take long turns around some of the thicker brush however, and it gave her an idea. She flushed him toward a point that required Tygrus to maneuver down one path between some thickly placed trees. She then leapt through a narrow hole in the tree line, somersaulting as she flew directly over Tygrus. The look of surprise on his face as she flew over him and lightly tapped him on the head gave her immense satisfaction. She landed in a crouching position, turned to shoot a fang filled grin at him, then darted through the bushes, having now become the hunted.

Fast as he was, superior leaper as he was, his size meant he couldn't cut through narrow points or move quite as nimbly around the forest as she. Selina took advantage of this, hitting every narrow tree passage, making impossibly sharp turns at every opportunity. She could practically smell the frustration coming from him. She shot up into the trees climbing higher, springing from limb to limb, finally perching herself atop a branch too thin to hold Tygrus. Grasping the tree trunk, perched on a thicker branch below her, he sat waiting for her next move.

Instead, she relaxed on the branch, dangling her tail just out of reach. Tygrus reached to grab it, only to have her playfully pull it from his grasp. She laughed, Tygrus smiled up at her.

"Well Selina, what now?"

"I just needed a rest, that's all." She said.

"Very well, we should not tire ourselves too much. You know Catwoman, I do not recall anyone or anything escaping me for so long."

"I've been chased by the best."

Tygrus crouched down on his branch. They sat silently for a minute or so, while Selina groomed herself with her tongue.

"I never finished my story earlier…" He said.

Selina looked down and gave a sympathetic look, "You don't need to."

"I want to," he insisted. "Panthera and I deeply desired cubs. As did Father. After almost a year of trying, we realized something was wrong. Panthera could not become pregnant."

He swallowed greatly before continuing. "We decided…to let Father try to fix her problem. Something went wrong while he treated her however. She died…two years before I met you."

"I'm sorry." Catwoman said.

"Do not be. Meeting you awakened something within me, something I believed I had killed when I lost her." He sat silently for several seconds, gazing past Selina, into the sky above. High in the trees, near the top of the jungle canopy, they could see several stars emerging through a dark orange sky. Night was creeping up on them.

He finally continued, "When you and Batman left, before I handed you the antidote, I offered you the chance to stay with me. I have never hated you for not doing so, but I have often wondered what I might have said differently. I never thought I would get another chance." He paused, searching Selina's face, her glowing emerald eyes dilated in the dim light. "I know you wish to be human. Perhaps…it is the only right thing…but please…just this once let me speak, and I will never mention it again." She closed her eyes. Tygrus, she thought, what am I putting you through? But she could only nod. He continued.

"When Father spoke of a 'Catwoman' who was a human like him, I did not understand what he meant. But when I saw you…I saw…I smelled more than a mere human woman. I understand we can sense things, hear things, smell things, that humans cannot. You may understand the differences better than I do, but I always knew when Panthera was angry, sad, or happy, in ways father could not."

Tygrus was right. It was strange, but she sensed things now that were almost impossible to describe in human terms. Not only could she discern both today's fish and the rat from several days ago on Tygrus' breath, and count the number of eyelashes on his right eye, or hear every heartbeat, but every person gave off tells that betrayed emotion. A quickened heartbeat, an intensity of pheromones, a bristling of hair. So many pieces of information her mind never processed before now came unfiltered. So often humans went through life hiding their emotions, their silent feelings. But not here, not amongst the cats.

Tygrus continued. "You were restrained, seemingly helpless. But you were strong, defiant, exuding a scent, an actual smell, of independence that was more like my own, or my brothers and sisters, than Father's. These others, even after becoming like us, they still 'smell human' in many ways. It is slowing diminishing, they are becoming more cat as time passes than I think they realize, but you seemed like a cat to me before you…became one."

Catwoman cracked a gentle smile. Tygrus' voice sped up. "But more than that, you showed no fear. No fear, no _true_ fear, of Father, nor of _me_. Everyone fears me. I am not boasting, just observing. Even with Father, who I sensed so much affection in, from the time I grew larger than him, I always felt just a small bit of fear in him. In his henchmen I always felt much fear. In the guards here, even in the other cats, I feel it. Fear, intimidation."

"Even from Cheetah?" Selina said with a slight chuckle.

"She hides it well, but yes. Before you, only one other person had shown so little intimidation. My Panthera." He smiled, "I felt many other things from you, of course. Hate, disgust, but never fear. Even now, though you are troubled, I feel no fear from you Selina. Of course, you are not her. You act brashly, more so than her…or anyone I knew. When you stepped between me and Batman…"

Selina laughed, cutting him off. "You think I was brash then? You haven't seen anything."

Tygrus smiled lightly, then continued speaking, this time in quiet earnestness. "That is why I desired you. Even now with others like me, you are unique. I love you Selina."

The orange in the sky was rapidly disappearing, giving way to dark blue. More stars emerged, along with a hair thin crescent moon.

"Tygrus," Selina responded, "Thank you. I mean it. You've been wonderful to me…and these people, all of us, owe our lives to you. But you have to know I can't live here. I have to go back to my old life. Being…a cat hasn't been all bad, and I have you to thank for that. But it can't last. It's not real. It's not who I am. I can't be what Dorian wanted me to be, I have to be Selina, human Selina. Tygrus, I'm sorry. You're strong, a truly amazing person. You don't need me to be happy." She dropped to the branch below, perching directly next to him. She turned to face him, but couldn't meet his eyes. "It's getting late, we should head back." And with that, she leapt, bounded off one tree trunk, then another, and deftly touched down on the jungle floor.

She'd begun to walk back when she felt Tygrus land behind her. He gripped her shoulder. "Wait Catwoman, I'm not finished." She turned and looked up at him, across his frame and into his eyes, which locked her firmly into place with their gaze. "I am not asking you be my mate…not yet. I am not asking you to stay on the island with me."

"Then what are you asking?"

"I merely ask for a chance. I have only known you a few days of my life but I wish to spend more with you. You may be right, I may not need you, but I want you. You once said you could not be won by my attempts to kill the Batman. Let me try to win you as you wish to be won. As a man seeking a woman."

Selina looked away, her face sad, her ears drooping. "Tygrus…"

He suddenly took her hands in his. She looked up, unable to escape his gaze. His amber eyes seemed almost to be burning through her. It wasn't anger, but determination. He was going to have his say, and she knew he would not accept half-hearted answers. "One final thing…I know you worry of never being human again, of never returning to your world." He leaned closer, his nose an inch from hers. "But I know you also have feelings for me."

Up close like this, his towering frame, his firm but veleveted grip on her hands, the powerful musk he emanated…she was beginning to have trouble focusing. Don't lose it now, she thought.

"Tygrus, it's…not me. It's this body; I can't live on animal impulses. We humans believe love is more than that."

"Yes, your feelings must be strange to you. But do you think I do not know true love? What I sense in you is more than the sensual attraction I felt from Cheetah and others. If you must return because that is what you truly wish, then do so. But not because you feel you must. You are Catwoman, you choose your own path, and not what Father, or anyone else says you must be."

Selina could only stare, unable to look away. She couldn't help it. His face appeared to her more masculine than anything she could remember. Don't lose it now Selina…you're human. Human. Human Human Human. She tried to think of a human face, but her mind was locked in. His scent clouded away all other thoughts.

"Tygrus…we should go…" She slipped her hands from his and placed them on his chest, intending to push him away. Instead they stayed there, gently displacing the hair on his grey pelt.

"They aren't waiting for us. We can take our time."

"I mean…we should leave…in case something happens." She felt her hands move through his fur, running along his torso.

"Like what?" Tygrus gently placed an arm around her slender waist; another cupped her head.

"This…" Her muzzle moved forward, ever so slightly. Suddenly she felt a tightening around her waist and head, and her mouth was firmly pressed against his. She wrapped her hands around his neck, rising to the balls of her feet as he pulled her into his grasp. Opening her eyes, she saw him draw back from her mouth briefly. He smiled widely. As he brought his face closer to his, she couldn't help but think it looked like he was about to devour her.

Her supple body began to twist within his grip. Lucid images flowed through her head. Of thick jungles and hunted prey dying in the clasp of her jaws. Of small furry bodies running over her. Offspring…a family…she couldn't imagine a more perfect existence.

Wait, this…this wasn't her. She didn't wish to be a feral beast, or have kids…or cubs for that manner. Her humanity was disappearing within these foreign instincts. She had to stop. She had to gather every ounce of will power she had and stop this. Fight it, Selina, fight it! Anger built within her. She focused on the emotion, letting it well up from beneath the lust she felt for Tygrus. An animal roar, a push with both hands and a kick with both feet to Tygrus' gut came, and she bounded back out of his arms from him. He staggered back, the wind driven out of him.

"No! You won't make me a monster!"

Tygrus' eyes held surprise for a brief second, then hurt for an even briefer second before turning dark with rage. "Is that what I am at long last? A monster?!" He reached for her.

"Stay back!" Almost on its own, her hand, claws born, sliced an arc, catching him on the side of the face with one finger, leaving a blood red streak across his cheek.

The sight of blood on his face broke her rage; the sharp pain from her hand broke his. He staggered back, grasping the side of his face, while looking at the hand he'd reached out to grasp her with. She stared at her hand, blood dripping from the tip of her claw.

Run, she thought, you can't face him. He's seen you for real now. You want to face those eyes? Her body tensed, a foot stepped back to leave…and she stopped.

No. No running this time.

"Tygrus, I'm sorry, I…"

"No...Selina you were right to stop me." He looked at his hand. "I thought I'd mastered my rage. But I almost…you are right. You don't belong here. Not in this savage world."

"All the world's savage Tygrus." And so am I, she whispered under her breath.

"Regardless, I took advantage of you. You were right. I have seen how difficult it can be for humans who have become cats to handle their instincts. I could feel you losing yourself as I held you. I don't know how far I would have…"

His voice trailed off, he gazed into the ground. He didn't notice when she came forward, he flinched in surprise when her hand touched his arm.

"Don't beat yourself up Tygrus. It doesn't make you a monster. Just a guy who hasn't felt the affection of a woman for years." She surprised herself, flashing a wry smile. "You know I don't think of you as a monster, don't you?"

Tygrus' smiled back, his body relaxing. "Yes…I am more concerned that you view _yourself_ as a monster."

She didn't answer, but removed her hand, and motioned him to walk with her, back toward the camp. He followed.

"You were right about one thing though," she said as they walked.

"What?"

"It was more than out of control mutant juices. I meant it when I called you a remarkable person. That determination, sense of purpose you showed when you took it upon yourself to protect us from those thugs, I've only seen it in one other person before."

"Who?"

"Who do you think? You've met him."

He grinned, his teeth just barely showing. "You know, I knew you were lying when you said there was nothing between you and him."

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess I don't hide that too well do I?"

"It seems mutal."

Her ears drooped slightly. "The thing is…neither of us is willing to give up what separates us. There are times when I think I might give up my hobby for picking the pockets of rich folks, other times, I think he might be willing to give up his crusade. But in the end…we are what we are."

"You shouldn't have to change yourself for another." He said.

"The thing is Tygrus, we all change," She glanced at her blond furred arm, "Some of us more drastically than others. But in little ways. You're not the same person I met the first time. You change to make yourself better. And if a person is really special…maybe a bit of change is worth it."

"You sound like you might be willing to change for him."

"For him..." She suddenly halted, causing Tygrus to stop as well. She stared at him, as if sizing him up. Finally she spoke.

"You know that chance you spoke of earlier? You've got it."

His eyes went wide with surprise.

"I think humans would consider this, 'going out with each other.' We've got a lot of other things to worry about at the moment, and you can't exactly take me to movies, but that's okay. I know how to juggle staying alive and having a relationship fairly well. And I never cared for traditional customs anyway."

"Wait…I'm not sure I understand."

"Believe me, you don't want to. Just understand this part: I've decided we have something between us, and we shouldn't be afraid to explore it just because I didn't always have this fur."

Tygrus seemed stunned, "After what just happened? You saw how dangerous I could be."

She placed a hand, claws born, on his chest. "Yes, but not as dangerous as me." She said softly. "You'll see it if you're curious enough. Besides, you would have stopped before it went too far."

"You are certain?"

"I said you weren't a monster Tygrus. I meant it."

Tygrus took her hand in his. "So…what do humans do when they 'go out' as you said?"

Hand still in his, they began to start walking toward the pride's camp again. "Oh, I suppose it's mostly doing various things together. Going to special events, everyday things too. It allows us to get to know the other person in a variety of settings and find out what the other person is like. We find out if we work well together."

Tygrus thought for a moment. "It could be difficult to do at the moment. With all the danger around…" He stopped for a moment. His ears were moving in several directions quickly. He sniffed the air.

"Is something wrong?" She whispered. She listened closely, pointing her own nose to the air. Slowly, they both turned their gazes in the same direction, Their eyes cutting through the inky blackness of the forest night.

"I don't see anything…but still…" She spoke in a hushed voice.

"We should go. Quickly." Tygrus interjected.

With that they both fell to all fours and darted away, evaporating into the night.

A quarter of a mile away, hidden within a thick brush, Deathstroke let his sniper rifle's scope drop from his eye. "Almost had him," he thought to himself. It had taken an hour of careful movement to line up such a long shot in this thick forest. And they had somehow still sensed him. He knew now he'd never get close enough to get a clear shot. Not without a significant distraction. He'd need to break the beast's mind first. Fortunately, he'd already set that plan in motion. The first step would be waiting for him when he got home.


	23. Chapter 23

**Ch. 23**

Selina and Tygrus slowed their pace as they closed in toward the camp. Still on all fours, they came to a full stop, and began arcing their heads, ears twisting, eyes scanning, searching for any sign that they were being followed. They turned to each other, exchanged a confirming nod, and dashed away again at full speed.

Their voyeuristic friend had either lost them or given up the chase. Selina still wasn't sure who are what they had sensed, and she felt that Tygrus didn't know either. It had been strange, she couldn't pin it down as a smell or sound…more like a feeling. Perhaps they were both becoming too tense, but she'd been certain they were in danger. And so had he.

As they neared the clearing Selina suddenly felt chilled as she realized how well lit and open their camp was, even at night. A moment later she remembered she was looking at it with cat eyes. Selina searched her memory to recall how dark night was to human eyes, but she couldn't really visualize it.

As they came through the trees, they found Paul and Dorothy embracing each other by a tree. The Cheetah scientists, the army brat Cougar, the young Panther, and Jaguar girls were gathered a rough circle at the top of the hill. She could hear the old veteran and big tiger lady speaking down by the stream. The lynxes must be on guard, Selina thought. Coming on the young couple, Dorothy suddenly broke from Paul and ran to Selina, hugging her exuberantly.

"Oh, there you are! It's wonderful Selina! Just…"

She suddenly stopped and sniffed Selina's shoulder, which she had buried her face into. "I knew you and Tygrus were going to get together." She said in a sly whisper. "Good luck, he's a catch!" It took a moment for Selina to recover, and another to catch onto what Dorothy had said. Her scent! Or more precisely, it was Tygrus' scent on her. There would be no hiding from anyone, especially Cheetah, that they had been in a passionate embrace that evening. That could make things awkward.

She looked down at Dorothy somewhat apologetically, "Me and Tygrus are…exploring our options. But what did you want to tell me?"

Dorothy beamed again, her dots seemed ready to leap off of her fur. "Oh Yes! I'm pregnant!"

Catwoman did her best to mask the shock of this news and act warmly. If Dorothy noticed, she didn't show it. "That's wonderful Dot, congratulations to you both. I thought you couldn't have children?"

"We couldn't. Not before…this happend." She hugged Tygrus next, who seemed more taken aback by her hug than the news. "I knew there was a reason for all this. I knew it!" Her voice sounded almost relieved.

Paul touched her shoulder, and took her back into his arms. "Dr. Minerva diagnosed her. Yolanda is pregnant too. Hector, the other lynx, is the father." He caressed his wife's head, rubbing behind her ears while she nuzzled his chest. He looked up to Tygrus, "This is going to make things complicated, I know."

"Do not worry," Tygrus said. "We will adjust to make sure both her and Yolanda are safe. Does the rest of the camp know?"

"Everyone but Hector. He was on watch. Yolanda went to tell him alone." His voice suddenly slowed, as if he was contemplating something he did not care to ponder. "Actually, she really should have been back by now…I suppose they're celebrating together."

"Probably," Dorothy interrupted, "It's our shift to watch isn't it? We should relieve them."

Suddenly an all too human sounding scream came from the forest.

"That's her!" Tygrus bellowed. "Move!"

* * *

"One sudden move and I put one bullet through your head, then go to the girl's cell and put one through hers."

Batman stared past the rifle aimed at his head, through the visor, and into the mercenary's eyes. The two other armed guards both noticed his knees seemed to buckle, but kept their own weapons aimed and ready. Two more men quietly secured his hands behind his back.

"You might know these locks! They use them in Arkham Asylum!" The younger one joked nervously as he snapped the hulking hand braces firmly into place.

"Shut up." The older guard barked. He turned to Batman, "Alright, the doctor wants to see you. Come with us."

"Doctor who?" Batman said, but he got no answer. With three guns still aimed at him, he began his escort down the dungeon hallway.

Without making it too obvious, Batman made mental notes of the various guards here. They seemed to a fairly diverse group of hired guns. The older one was a black man, whose accent seemed to come from Quebec. The younger was definitely American, southern, maybe north Florida. The three armed guards had visors covering there faces, but one who spoke had a well hidden Paris dialect. Even more surprising, one of them was definitely a woman. Over the past few days he'd noticed a similar diversity in his watchers, including another woman, who he swore sounded Israeli. They were all professional mercenaries, but they seemed to be hand picked from around the world. Who had the resources to do that? And why?

They began to ascend a flight of spiraling stairs, out of the dungeon. Muffled cries of pain could be heard from the floor above. They echoed off the walls, mingling with the dancing shadows cast by the blinking electric lights.

* * *

Tygrus had shouted a few quick orders to the others, asking for Cheetah to come with them, and telling the rest to stay and be ready to move. They, along with Catwoman and Paul followed Tygrus into the forest. The scream had definitely come from her. It wasn't far from their camp. "Not now," Tygrus thought, "We are not ready yet."

They were closing in on her, blasting through brush and by trees at top speed. He couldn't hear anyone else. It was difficult to pick up a scent; the wind was blowing hard to their backs. There could well have been a large force quietly waiting for them in ambush, but they couldn't take the time to be cautious.

He could hear her screams more clearly now. They were screams of agony…but he still couldn't hear anything else near her. Were they torturing her? The trees opened before them, and Yolanda came into view. She was kneeling on the ground…alone.

Tygrus skidded to a halt before her. He looked above her in the trees and saw immediately why she was screaming. He turned away, grimacing with hateful revulsion. The others caught up with him. Catwoman gaped in shock briefly, then lowered her head, whispering curses. Paul sat open mouthed, almost catatonic. Cheetah merely stared. She was the first to speak.

"We can't stay here. This could be a trap. I'll help take them down."

Tygrus nodded. "Selina, help her with the…remains. Don't take them into camp yet. Leave them on the outside rim of our camp until we decide whether to let anyone else see this. I'll carry her." He nodded toward the sobbing lynx.

"It's just…" Paul stammered, "It's just the skins…"

"Paul…" Tygrus' voice was surprisingly stern.

"I'm…fine"

Catwoman at last gained the nerve to lift her gaze from the ground. "I don't recognize the tigress…"

"It's no one special. Just an unlucky one they're using to scare us." Cheetah's calm was beginning to leave Catwoman uneasy.

Tygrus walked up to the lynx, whose cries had settled down. Now she was laying face first on ground below her lover's effigy. She didn't respond as Tygrus took her up in her arms.

"Bring her near the river. Have Ballestros look at her. I'll be right behind. Just be gentle with her." Cheetah said as she climbed the trees toward the two trophies.

"He never knew he was a father…" Selina said sadly.

"We'll have time for mourning later. Help me here."

Much as she despised Cheetah's callousness, she was right. She sunk her claws into the brittle tree bark and ascended toward the gruesome display.

"By the way…" Cheetah said, "Nice fragrance you're wearing these days…"

* * *

Batgirl browsed the shelves, examining the various rows of books. These guards had a strange choice in prisons. Leaving her mask on was odd enough, but why lock her in the castle library? It was in a high tower with no means of escape, but she had heard them talking about Batman being locked in the dungeon. Did they run out of rooms? Perhaps they wished to keep them as far apart as possible.

Despite her circumstances, she couldn't help laughing at the fact that they'd locked a part time librarian in a library. At least she wasn't bored. Most of the books were various science journals and notes of Dorian's. The sort of material they had originally come to retrieve in the first place, but that would have to wait. There was also a large collection of classic literature as well. Dorian had been well read. She pulled an especially well worn book from the shelf, Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.

An appropriate choice for a mad scientist she thought. It had been read several times through, and in fact the pages were torn. Strange, it was almost like someone had been turning the pages with a sharpened needle.

* * *

The pride had simply sat in dead silence as Tygrus had broken the news. Even when he chose to have Cheetah bring out the skins, there were no shouts of horror. Catwoman had feared the Cougar would blame Tygrus for letting her die, and leave. Or that some of the others would crack under the stress. But they all seemed attuned to Tygrus as his voice boomed over there heads. Except for Yolanda, who silently stared at the ground.

"They are coming for us, and will not show mercy. Our only option is to fight together here, where we have some protection with the rocks. Or die apart, taken one by one in the forest."

He surveyed the pride slowly, his gaze never blinking. "Follow my words, and we may yet live. Each of you will have missions. Not all of you will fight; but those who do…must do so without holding anything back. Do you understand? Either we must die or they must die. There is no in between. I have attempted to warn them myself many times. They did not listen. We will establish a watch of no less than two people together at a time. Those not on watch will spend every moment when they do not rest preparing for the upcoming battle."

There were no questions, no comments. They simply nodded. Finally the older Gray cat spoke up, a wry smile on his maw. "Well? Your first orders commander?"

After Tygrus had divided them into four groups, he pulled Selina to the side. "Catwoman, I need to speak with you."

"Yes Tygrus?"

"Selina, you are an able fighter. But I have seen you, and know you are not a killer. Not like Cheetah. Or even the former soldiers…nor like me. But I meant what I said. We cannot hold back in this upcoming fight. Can you fight without any reserve?"

Selina let his words sink in. She thought of the smell of human blood she had sensed on Tygrus' hands covering her. She thought of dead men, and whether she would hesitate at the thought of truly ending another life. Then she thought of the skinned people. She thought of the crying mother, of a child not yet born, but fatherless.

Batman would find a way to avoid killing. Or else he would just refuse to kill. He wouldn't cross that line.

She wasn't Batman.

"Yes Tygrus. God help me, I'll do what is necessary to save all these people. Whatever you ask of me, I can do it."

Then they embraced, holding each other tightly for several seconds. Finally Tygrus kissed her lightly on the head. "Thank you Selina. I am sorry for this. But I cannot think of any other way."

"There are none. Don't worry about me or anyone else. Just make your choice and do it. Second guessing will kill us all." She smiled. "But you won't second guess. You'll lead us all, and we'll win." She gently pushed them apart.

"I'm fine now Tygrus. Take care of everyone else."

* * *

The doors opened and Batman was shoved forward through them. The lights came on, illuminating a massive glassed in prison. It was filled with well developed jungle foliage. Behind the glass cat people of all colors shot from tree to tree. Some chewed on what appeared to be a slain antelope. A few turned there heads, acknowledging the new arrivals from the other side of the glass briefly, then turned away, disinterested.

Before Batman, centered before the viewing glass, was a man with red hair and a hooked nose. He wore a an unblemished white lab coat and a dignified smile, holding back an almost childlike glee. He stood tall and straight, though clearly secured by the black cane with a cat's head handle he held in his right hand.

"Ah, so good to see again Batman."

Batman stood stunned for a moment, and then gritted his teeth.

"Dorian…"

"Neither caged nor dead. A delightful surprise, don't you agree? I hope you will forgive my accommodations. Not to mention my past rudeness. The last few years have given me time to reflect, and despite our philosophical differences I now see I have more reason to respect you than ever before. In fact your arrival has presented me with a most welcome opportunity to complete my perfect project."


	24. Chapter 24

**Ch. 24**

Batman shifted uncomfortably. Upon seeing Dorian, he'd worried that he'd been brought up for some kind of torture, in the name of satisfying the sick doctor's curiosity, or perhaps simply his thirst for revenge. Instead, he was being served up to a drawn out monologue, although that was a form of torture in and of itself. For a half hour Dorian had been describing his time in Arkham Asylum and subsequent escape, aided by a group he had no previous contact with but desired his skills. Occasionally, he'd stop and make a few observations about the creatures on the other side of the glass. He did all this with the calm demeanor of a college lecture.

"It was an ingenious bit of subterfuge. Once my surprise benefactors spirited me away from Arkham, they not only faked my death, but saw that this deception was hidden as well, creating the illusion to general public that I was still sitting in my cell. Brilliantly done."

"By whom?"

"Beg your pardon?" Dorian asked, looking a bit startled. Batman had been almost completely silent thus far.

"Who released you?"

"I'm afraid they value their privacy quite strongly, and I am obliged to honor it until they desire to reveal themselves to you." He paced in front of the glass, back turned to Batman, casually observing a leopard woman sharpen her claws on tree bark. "I can say their desired applications for my work are not exactly the same as my own, but I cannot go into the details, nor care to, except to say they are considerably more…'practical' than mine. But they've been remarkably tolerant of my artistic endeavors, so I cannot hold it against them."

"Artistic??!!" Batman shouted. The two guards left in the room by the door, who by this point had come close to falling asleep, moved for their weapons, but Dorian stayed them with a wave of his hand. "This is what you call art? Destroying people's lives? Creating monsters? This is an abomination against nature!"

"You disappoint me, Batman. Surely you can appreciate the fine design I've given my subjects here. They are fine tuned, masters of the wilderness." He paused, then smiled a bit. "Do you recall when I mentioned William Blake to you when I spoke of Tygrus? I spoke of his poem, 'Tyger, Tyger.' Blake wrote of the wonderful, fearful design in the Tiger. So unlike the lamb, it did not rely on the flock, or adhere toward standards of morality and kindness." His eyes seemed to light up as he spoke. "The beauty of the deadly predator Batman! The deadly things of this world hold a matchless wonder that is unlike anything else I have seen. Such grace as they impose such horror on the lesser beings! It extends to every form of life Batman! I recall the first time I viewed the elegance of the Ebola virus under a microscope. Like a cobra with an outstretched hood! But the cat, the noble jungle cat…to see its beauty, its independence and power harnessed by human intelligence, yet free of the influence of civilization!"

Batman interrupted him, "Like Tygrus? He didn't turn out so well."

Dorian stopped cold at his words. His face took on a small note of sadness as he turned back toward the glass. "The flaw with Tygrus was my own. I blamed Catwoman's influence at first, but now I see it was foolish to think one such as I could build a pure creation with myself so closely involved. My own connection with civilization was too great. It poisoned my wonderful creature with feelings of love and pity. His love for me allowed him to feel mercy in other creatures." He lifted his cane to point toward the cat creatures beyond the glass. "On the other hand, these creatures, ironically, have been conditioned by this same civilization to survive by their own means, to distrust. I selected them carefully Batman. The homeless, the outcast. Society's rejects. They are ideal for this project. Thrust into the elements, the strong and ruthless will survive. By the second generation, my creatures will have produced a magnificent vision of feral fury. Yes Batman, I am an artist, creating not with ink and canvas but with life itself!" He turned from the glass to meet Batman's gritted expression. "Ah the look of rage! Much as Blake might have raged that the creator could make a being as deadly as the tiger. So blinded by rigid morality!"

Batman spoke slowly. "I've met men like you many times before. You all think you can shape the world to your own 'vision' no matter what it does to other people. But it all falls apart in the end Dorian. You're no god. Your only legacy will be the pain you leave behind."

Dorian ignored him, continuing. "I brought you here Batman, because I believed you at least should know what is ahead for you and your female companion. You both are close to the pinnacle of human fighting skill. You survived Tygrus, and handled my benefactor's guards and assassins. To speak nothing of your reputation as protector of Gotham City. Both I and my benefactor wish to see how you compete against my creations, albeit for different reasons, but those details do not matter."

"I won't fight for your amusement." Batman said flatly.

"Then you and the woman will die." Dorian said with equal flatness. "Your first challenge is tomorrow afternoon." He motioned to the men behind Batman. "Guards, take him back to his cell. See that he is well fed, and that no one disturbs him tonight. He must be in maximum fighting shape for this experiment to be of any value."

* * *

Ross had phoned in to Deathstroke just before he reached his position. He hadn't wanted to let him know he was coming until it was too late for him to argue about it or do anything treacherous.

Deathstroke greeted him with a surprisingly copasetic attitude.

"Well Corporal Ross, I surmise you guessed that I was being deceptive about my luck with our primary target. You've gained some respect in my book, seeing through my methods. It is just as well you're here anyways.'

"Why's that?" Ross replied apathetically.

"Because we have to deal with an entire group of them. Our target is quite the guerrilla leader."

Ross huffed "I could have told you that. He's been bleeding us for weeks now." He stared through Wilson. "Which is why I don't care what they're paying you, he's ours to bag."

Deathstroke seemed unaffected by the implied threat "We'll see. Regardless, I'd suggest you follow my initial plan and be patient. There's too many of them together right now. Your group might overwhelm them, but you'd lose many of your men."

"What good will waiting do? Why not use the element of surprise?"

"You of all people should know stealth is their strength. Not ours. I attempted to sneak up on them. I failed. So we'll use their knowledge of us to our advantage."

"You let them see you?" Ross spat angrily. "What kind of strategy is it to let your enemy know your whereabouts?"

"I'm speaking of psychological warfare. I'll have them questioning each other, panicking. Bit by bit we'll eliminate them. Tygrus will probably be the last. Perhaps I'll let you have him as a gesture of good will."

Ross looked in the direction of the castle. "If this siege is going to work, you'll need my men to keep anyone from escaping. And we'll need to set up supply lines."

Deathstroke smirked underneath his mask. "Well? You'd better get to work then."

Ross waited for several seconds. "Give us a minute." He finally said. Deathstroke simply nodded and took a few steps back.

Ross turned and made a hand motion toward his army. Three mercenaries came forward and removed there helmets. They revealed a pale skinned Russian who wore a thick mustache, red like his hair, an African American man, with a scar running from his right eye down his cheek, and an Israeli woman, slightly tanned, with black locks that dropped to her shoulders as she removed her head piece.

Ross looked at his officers. "What do you think?" He looked to the Russian. "Alex?"

The man spat to the side. "These are wild animals to be hunted. Perhaps they were people once, but then only people taken from the street. Not a trained army. Only the gray one is a true danger. Flush them out and be done with it."

"Arrogant…" The man next to him muttered.

Ross acknowledged him, "Eh David?"

"We've had too many losses already. These creatures were smart enough to organize together. We've got to treat them with more respect."

Ross turned to the woman. "And you Sarah?"

The woman spoke evenly, in a calculated voice. "There is no reason to rush. We have the advantage. The important one is the gray one, correct. But in a hurried attack, he might escape. Better to trap him. If circumstances change, we can still attack at any time."

Ross nodded, "I agree. Take your teams and set up a perimeter. We'll take it slow for now. But be prepared for a change in plans."

* * *

The perimeter was simple enough to set up. But the guards weren't happy about a siege out in the jungle. Many were looking to put a quick end to the creatures that had menaced them for weeks, and still more wondered why they put so much effort into this particular group. Squads of three choked off all escape routes through the jungle. Ross made sure no team stayed in one spot for more than 2 hours, rotating in fresh groups in clockwork fashion. The first day went by with no problems. That night, Deathstroke gave him a chance to briefly spy on the subjects of the siege. The two of them, alone, carefully moved close toward the perimeter of the cat base. He looked through the night vision binoculars, past the trees toward the opening. Three cats clearly prowled the edges of the clearing, while the others gathered down the hill toward the mouth of the stream, which flowed out of a narrow pathway through a wall of rock that guarded the way north.

"We'll have to pick them off as time goes on." Deathstroke whispered. "They have water and a food supply from the river. Did you get men guarding the mountain passage?"

"Yes" Ross whispered, eying a sentry cat along the edges of the clearing. He was sure they couldn't see them, but even getting this close was a risk. Deathstroke kept tense, ready to move, with one hand close to his firearm. "They'll cover the escape route from above. If they try to escape down that way, they'll walk straight into a trap."

Down by the water, he caught focus on his target. He hadn't seen him so clearly before. He was taken aback not only at his size, but also the way he moved so quickly. He seemed to be playing with the blond cat he had argued to save. She darted from side to side; escaping his diving attempts, till he caught her and they both tumbled in a pile. He nuzzled her neck lightly, and they then uncoiled and repeated. Was it a training exercise? It didn't matter. Seeing them brought up images of his slain comrades, of Smith reduced to a mental wreck. His grip around the eyepiece tightened, stressing the casing nearly to the breaking point.

"We should go, it's dangerous for us to be so close, by ourselves." Deathstroke finally said.

Ross nodded as he put down the binoculars. "We'll wait three days to see if anyone starts to stray. Then we'll look into using sharpshooters. Every moment that beast lives drives me insane."


	25. Chapter 25

Ch. 25

Ross could sense Slade's angry grimace beneath his mask. It was enough to cause him to flinch, if just for a moment. He braced himself for bad news. "What's the problem?"

"Are you unable to control your own men? Your west flank has gone missing."

"What!" That was Alex's position. He pulled out his transceiver. "Beta squad report in, over." No response. He repeated request once, then Ross and several of his guard shot off in the direction of Alex's squad. Or where Alex's squad was supposed to be. Their night vision goggles spied that the nearby foliage had been stamped to the ground in paths leading toward the enemy encampment. There was a single body on the ground. A mercenary with his throat cleanly cut, face first on the ground.

Slade and Ross both kneeled by the body as their guard stood watch nervously, pointing their weapons in every direction. Slade finally spoke.

"A single kill, designed to provoke a reckless assault. And they picked the Russian. Perhaps a lucky guess, but excellent strategy, given his hot headedness and eagerness to fight..."

Ross stared daggers at Slade, but only picked up his transceiver and barked orders.

"Alex! Return to your position! That's an order! Return –"

He was cut off by gunfire. Short bursts from within the forest.

"Let's go!" Ross quickly organized his guard and motioned to Slade to fall in behind. "C'mon, we have to pull that &**# out of the fire."

"No."

Ross paused. "We're paid…"

"To kill cats. Not be killed. You're following your partner straight into an ambush. Exactly what they want."

Ross' gaze could have cut concrete. The fact that he knew Slade was right only increased his rage. But he didn't have time to debate, and ambush or not, he wasn't leaving his men behind. He pulled out his transceiver again as his group of six followed Alex's path.

"Alpha, Bravo, groups come in. Perimeter is compromised, Alex attacked on his own. We're closing the circle early."

The gun fire didn't last long. The silence was damning and caused him to pick up the pace. His goggles lit up the forest, yet he saw nothing. They should be close now. He turned to motion to his men…but quickly realized something was wrong. They were now only four of them.

"Where's Simmons? Grey?" He accepted their silence for only a second before motioning to them to crouch for cover and search the trees.

"They're picking us off! Stay close!" Two shots rang out and a man on each side of him fell forward, a bullet in his brain. Instinctively, he dove to the ground while his two remaining men fired wildly into the trees. "Get down!" He shouted, and they quickly obeyed. He scanned the tall jungle furiously, his breath quickening. A small image briefly appeared before them, several feet away, paused for the briefest of moments then darted back through the brush.

"There!" He shouted as they all fired in the figure's direction. But his comrades fire was cut off abruptly as they both fell to the ground, a bullet in the back of each of their heads.

A distraction, the one they'd spotted had deliberately drawn their fire. He'd been outsmarted by Tygrus again. And now he was as good as dead.

This was it then, the beast had outdid them all, time to simply charge and try to take one of them down by sheer luck before the end. He gripped his rifle…and then another voice came to him, quietly, softly. Give up. Live to see another day .

Would they even understand the concept? He tossed his rifle to the ground and stood tall, raising his hands high. "Don't shoot! I surrender!" Two male cats, one tan, like a cougar, another grey with some strands of white, emerged from the trees on either side of him, landing on their feet, each holding a rifle in their inhuman hands, and aimed at his head. Our own weapons, he thought, no doubt taken off the bodies of dead mercenaries. The tan one called out in a surprisingly articulate voice. "Don't move! " He gave a quick glance to the elder cat, who nodded, as if to confirm his thoughts. "Remove the belt, with your handgun and flash bangs. Take your left hand and slowly toss it next to your rifle." Ross obeyed without much hesitation, giving only a frustrated grimace as he tossed aside his remaining gear. The cougar's head gestured slightly to the brush, indicating where the distracting cat had darted to. "April, get his weapons." An orange furred jaguar woman carefully moved forward, on all fours, deftly snatching his rifle from the tall grass in front of him and hoisting it over her naked shoulder, then strapping the belt around her narrow waist, pulling it tight to make sure it was secure. The cougar looked back at Ross for a second, and then pointed toward camp. "Walk that way, don't look back."

Hands still raised, he began moving toward where he knew the feline base to be. This was going to be a firefight he thought. Soon his other men would close the circle as ordered and although they may be taken off guard by the cats carrying weapons, he assumed that their numbers advantage should win out in the end. He didn't expect to get through the cross fire alive easily though.

He'd been walking ten seconds before he realized the cats weren't walking him back to the camp. They'd disappeared as soon as his back had been to them. His mouth went dry when as his mind came to the inevitable conclusion. They weren't back at camp, they'd wiped out Alex's unit and were headed through the lines. West…toward the castle?

Most of his men were still encircled around the camp in the siege, with others spread out throughout the island picking off other escapees. Only a skeleton crew and scientists were left at the castle. He had no idea how fast they could move, but he knew his group could never catch them before they reached their headquarters. Would they really try it?

Yes, he realized. They couldn't survive this war of attrition forever. So they were making an attempt to end it all at once. They were going to cut off the head of the dragon.


	26. Chapter 26

**Ch. 26**

Catwoman streaked across the jungle floor on all fours, the strap of the stolen rifle taught between her breasts, the belt of stolen goods hugging her hips. She kept a quick, but steady pace, her comrades in claw all around her, cutting between trees and brush. She did her best to focus on navigating the forest, following behind Tygrus' lead, but her mind was a whirl of distracting thoughts. Mere minutes ago she had flung herself from the dark and killed several humans with her bare claws. The scent of blood still stung in the back of her throat.

The memory was still vivid. The scream came as Tygrus drew first blood. She could hear the mercenaries come almost as soon as they started; they traveled so clumsily, forgetting their discipline in their rage. They did not see their predators as they entered the ring of feline warriors. In the dark of the night, it was almost like watching blind men stumble about. Dot and the younger jaguar girl had drawn their attention and fire, just enough to distract them before the shout came out to attack. She had wondered, if the time came, would she hesitate? No, the first fell with a swipe of her claws to the throat. A swipe of her leg, the hooks on her toes born and sharp as those on her fingers, brought down one who came from behind. Then another fell. She might have killed another, either her or Cheetah. It was a slaughter, no cats were even injured. The weapons were quickly confiscated, and those with experience shooting like the former veteran and former army recruit readied to use the merchs' own weapons against them.

It was horrible, the violence, and yet…an undeniable exhilaration had welled up inside her, and remained. The enemy had been routed! Tygrus had proven himself again. He seemed to always come through. When he had suggested making a move to escape and storm the castle, even she had had her doubts. Now…no one would question him. They'd follow their leader into hell…

Batman found himself in the middle of a miniature jungle. Alone. They had led him out of his cell, down the dark halls, into one of the castle's many conservatories. This was a large one; he couldn't even see the edges. It was thick, thick enough to hide enemies. Which he suspected was the point. There was a stir in the brush and he lowered into a defensive stance.

"Just me." Batgirl emerged, hands raised.

"They hurt you?"

"No, I understand we're today's entertainment."

Batman shook his head. "More like their guinea pigs. Though I have to question just what Dorian, or his employer think they'll get from having us fight homeless mutants."

"Wish I could know who's funding this…"

"Isn't it obvious?"

They were then interrupted by four leopards.

* * *

It was still dark as they came to the castle. Tygrus scanned the various spires and guard outposts. Lots of activity, but lots of gaps too. He nodded and smiled to Catwoman, who smiled back knowingly. Cheetah summed up what they all knew.

"Skeleton crew, just like you said. The entire force is out hunting us…"

"Leaving them wide open. Great work Tygrus." The young Cougar finished.

"They know we're coming though," The grey veteran added, in a more somber tone.

Cheetah shrugged, "No matter. They still won't see this coming." She put a hand/paw on Catwoman's shoulder. "Not with the two greatest experts at breaking and entering in the world doing what they do best."

Selina smiled to Barbara. "I'm flattered."

Tygrus nodded. "You know the plan. Cheetah, you cut off the power. Catwoman, you unleash a band of prisoners and pave a way for us to enter."

Catwoman chuckled. "Nice enough of them to keep a Trojan horse for us in their home base."

The elder Jaguar sister handed her some extra ammo and flashbangs. "Remember," the orange furred one said. "The east wing prison seemed to be where they held the prisoners who were…least driven mad by the change I suppose. They're most likely to help you."

She nodded as she accepted the gear. Cheetah cocked her pistol and holstered it at her side. "Let's go, while we still have the advantage of night." With that, she shot on all fours toward the castle.

Catwoman turned, and looked at Tygrus, placing a hand on his cheek. "Tygrus, we're almost at the end. But it's dangerous. I want you to know…" Tygrus stopped her, and took her hand off his cheek. "Act now, speak later Catwoman." Selina nodded, then smirked before she stood on her toes to surprise Tygrus with a passionate kiss, startling him as she held the kiss for several seconds.

The other cats chuckled and even applauded quietly as Catwoman finally broke free and shot after Cheetah. Tygrus silently smiled, his fangs gleaming the moonlight.

* * *

"This is a warm up fight." Batman said as he stood over a fallen tiger.

"Hardly breaking a sweat" Batgirl said a she sent a lioness retreating into the jungle.

Indeed, the attackers had been neither overwhelming, for them anyway, nor tactical. Of course their fighting style left much to be desired.

"Warming up for what though?" Batgirl asked?

A booming voice came over the PA. "Excellent! Your skills are still sharp. We are ready to proceed with the next part of our test."

They stayed motionless for a moment, standing ready for whatever sick test Dorian had for them.

"To the left,"

Batgirl had barely pointed it out with a blond streak of fur shot out from the trees. Only this creature lacked the short muzzle of the cat. His was long and narrow, and his growl was different, canine. A large wolf man shot at them, and they both rolled away from his claws in the nick of time, Batman's cape tearing at his swipe.

The creature's blue eyes were passionate, focused. Behind them, the creature vaguely remembered being called Smith. But that creature had been weak, mentally broken by seeing his human fellows killed. Now, he had the strength to stand against anything. He leaped for Batman, who threw a kick, but even his new form, he remembered his training and blocked it. In fact, stronger, faster as he was, his trained skills seemed sharper than ever. He sensed Batgirl from behind and gave her a kick, knocking her to the floor. Batman recovered and struck a back, but Smith rolled, and his punch only glanced. He swiped, giving Batman three claw marks on his chest.

Batman winced, and gritted his teeth as he moved to recover; only to feel a pair of claws grip him from behind. The second wolf had lain in surprise the whole time. Smith had already moved back to Batgirl, and quickly overwhelmed her in both size and speed. They held both humans by their necks.

"Enough! Release them. Return to your pens." The voice was not Dorian.

As if a switch had been turned, the wolves released them and disappeared.

"The test was a success detective. Dorian's work is truly remarkable. It is the future, as you have just demonstrated."

Batgirl stood wide eyed, while Batman was stoic. "Ras Ah Ghul," he stated matter of factly.

"Correct," The figure emerged, an old but dignified looking man in a flowing cape, his beard and hair showing their distinctive streaks of gray. He was flanked on either side by men and women with guns, though these were not the mercenaries of before. These wore the distinct black uniforms of the League of Shadows. "You deduced I was the one funding Dorian's enterprise?"

"And the one who helped him escape. The biggest clue was your refusal to unmask us."  
Ras smiled and noded, "Yes…I've always and still do respect your sign of honor detective. Though our goals have clashed often."

"Honor or not, you're still out of your mind. What have you done here Ghul?"

The man turned stoic, his demeanor cold. "I gave Dr Dorian a chance to continue his work. Man in his current form is a virus, destroying his mother earth bit by bit. My hope is for Dorian to create a new form of man, one more connected to the earth. "

Batman showed a smirk of disdain under his mask. "Are you sure you're not building an army of monsters? The best mercenaries in the world, male and female…the cats are merely a test, Dorian's side project correct? You're going to turn the men you've had hunting us into your own personal dogs right?"

Ghul's expression remained unchanged. "They will be given a new form. Unlike the cat, the canine mind is more built toward community, and loyalty, ideal for the warrior class they will become."

"One loyal to you!" Batgirl shouted.

"To me and my cause. Dorian's abilities have become truly remarkable. As you saw, though they knew little of me, my voice triggered an instinct in them that they must obey." Ghul looked to the left and right, at the men beside him. "Many of the men, like these, are members of my league who eagerly await the change. The others…will embrace it. They were all given the formula under the guise of inoculations against jungle disease. We've been lacing their food with concentrated proteins to accommodate the change and growth of their bodies. It need only be triggered by the inhalation of another element…which I shall introduce soon."

* * *

Climbing the walls was so easy she almost laughed. She hung just below the ledge of the ramparts of Dorian's castle. She didn't even need to look over it to know there was a guard there, looking out into the forest. It was a woman…she had not showered in a long time, and she had had poorly made chicken and rice for dinner.

She waited a moment, the claws on her hands and feet gripped into the crevices of the stone, her spine a flexible spring as she prepared to attack. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the north. She saw a plane headed over the forest, due west. If they were looking to bomb them or search them out, it was much too late, she thought.

The noise made a perfect cover though. She pushed herself off with her legs, gripping the ledge as she flipped back over onto the ledge, her foot slamming into the guard's head in one motion. Her helmet actually cracked with the impact, but saved her from unconsciousness, albeit only briefly as she fell to her rear just in time to look into a blond furred foot striking her across the face.

A concussion was no small thing, but better than dead, Selina thought. She contemplated executing her to prevent sounding the alarm when she woke up, but she decided instead to ripping off some of her clothes to gag and tie her up. Still risky perhaps, but she should be sleeping through the rest of the raid anyway. She grabbed her belt and some ammo from her weapon, then tossed the gun over the ramparts. Looking out to the other rampart across the night sky, she could make out the figure of cheetah securing the other base…and tossing her opponent over the ledge.

No time to judge or question your own actions Catwoman, she thought. Lowering to all fours, she opened the trap door and descended into the castle.


	27. Chapter 27

**Ch. 27**

Catwoman descended through the stone hall ways, keeping to the shadows as much as she could. Twice she encountered a passing guard, twice the guard passed with no sign that he knew she was there. Her padded bare feet crossed the cold stone floors and walls as she followed the instructions she had been told, left, left, right…three doors and…

There it was. Up ahead were two double doors, the sign above reading "Observatory #3." Behind here a glassed in jungle held several former humans. She could only hope that these were as mentally stable as the others had indicated. Releasing insane cats on the castle might create chaos for the guards, but it would probably be bad news for everyone. Not that she was expecting to get through this without any more bloodshed.

Her ears could hear the sound of two boots pacing lightly. The scent of gun oil seeped through a bit. So, two guards. No real way to enter except through the front door, which of course, even with her speed would make her a sitting duck. Time to use the resources at paw.

She reached down to the belt at her waist and pulled out a flash bang. Cracking open the door, she tossed it in, and ducked away. After the flash, she quickly shot inside and gave each writhing guard a kick to the head. On one of them was a card key. Luck on her side so far.

Catwoman stood, and looked at the tall wall of bullet proof glass before her. On the other side was a line of trees, very much like a zoo exhibit. The flash and noise had apparently attracted attention, as several cat people were emerging, cautiously, from it and approaching the glass. They seemed mostly unharmed, probably a good sign, she thought, as it meant they weren't tearing each other apart. A large, golden yellow lion, with a full red mane, stepped forward and placed his hand on the glass, then pointed to the right. She followed his pointing and saw the key slot with a key pad. A quick slide and a green light turned on and a message appeared on the digital display above the key pad.

She looked back to the lion, who held up two fingers. She pushed the number two. He held up five padded digits and a thumb, and she pushed six. A few numbers later and a "stand clear" message appeared. The glass began to slowly rise. Eager to get out, several cats squeezed under the rising glass and gathered around her.

"Thank you," the lion said in a breathless baritone voice, a sentiment echoed by several others. Many of them were clearly shaken, but whatever they had faced, they seemed to at least have a grasp of their sanity. "Are you our rescue squad?"

"I guess so, but we'll need your help." She quickly laid out the situation and Tygrus' plan. "Once Cheetah handles her part, we'll let Tygrus in. Anyone who wants to head take their chances in the jungle can leave when we reach the front door. Anyone who wants to wait this out can stay here behind glass; we'll free you afterwards…assuming we win. But if you're up for a fight…" She paused and looked around at them.

A good number of the group raised their paws. Only two people, a pair of copper furred Abyssinians, said they would leave entirely. Selina nodded. "Good, okay then, "she looked up at the lion, he seemed to be the default leader of the group.

"What's your name?"

"Leonard,"

"Leonard, you're my second in charge."

The lights flickered and went out.

"Our cue," she said, a fanged smile gleaming below glowing green eyes.

* * *

Cheetah looked at her work, a smoldering control board, a triplet of fallen bodies below her, two guards, one scientist. Time to meet the others…

Her left ear flicked, and then turned, her jaws opening with a warning hiss, raising a gun, lowering her whole body.

"No need for that Dr Minerva," a voice said as he turned the corner, a balding, red haired man, with a cane, wearing his white lab coat, as always. "I simply wished to meet you."

They stared at each other for a moment. "Dr Dorian…" She put away her gun. "I'll admit, I always hoped to meet you…but I don't have time to talk. State your business, or get out of my way."

Dorian rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and then asked, almost in a whisper, "What is it like?"

She didn't need to ask him to elaborate, "It's incredible. Like you've been reborn into a new world."

He nodded, "I envy you…I always have observed my work from the outside. You have made yourself part of the new world we are creating."

"I didn't intend to…but yes." She smiled, "Nothing is stopping you from changing yourself though."

He shook his head, "No, I am too old for such a process. It would be wasted on me. You, Miss Kyle and my son must determine your species' destiny. I must warn you however. You will face an opponent soon. One of my creation at my benefactor's request. Only by helping him could I create enough of you to establish a sustainable population. But as man faced the Neanderthal to establish dominance of North America, so you will face your own challenge."

Cheetah blinked, she really needed to go meet the others but…"What do you mean? Who?"

Dorian smiled, "You will soon face your natural enemy. Nothing else I say will be of use. This will soon be an island with little place for weak men such as myself. Tell my son, trust him."

And with that, he left.

* * *

Deathstroke pushed back a branch to get a look at the plane flying overhead. A green smoke poured out its tail end. He cursed. "Too soon," He growled as he raised his radio. "Deadshot, come in."

His voice crackled through the static. "What? I'm busy."

"Drop what you're doing and get to the castle. I need you to call your ride. And don't tell me you don't have one."

"What…why?"

"You know how I warned you not to take their injections when you arrived? You're about to thank me."

* * *

Batman and Batgirl hadn't hesitated when the lights went off. Bad news for the guards that had been moving them.

"Okay we're free," Batgirl said, rubbing her wrists, now free of their cuffs. "Now What?"

Batman thought for a moment.

"We go after Ras; he's the key to this whole thing."

Suddenly they heard voices and the beating of boots echoing down the hall. They retreated into the shadows, though the guards didn't pass by, sprinting down a corridor perpendicular to theirs.

"We need back up!" a voice burst through static as they ran, "They're all by the main entrance!"

A quick glance was all they needed. The quickly but silently followed them toward the source of trouble.

* * *

Ross took a glass of water from Sarah. With her black hair, swarthy skin, and tall nose, she looked a lot like Mary. He thought about his own family, a failed marriage back home. If things had been different…

No time for that. The cats were taking the castle even as they sat there, from the chatter on the radio. The utter failure of their mission here weighed heavily on his mind. He looked at her. "I think it's time I stepped down…this isn't something I was trained for, and too many people have died."

"No one truly could have been prepared for what we faced Corporal. I feel you led honorably," she said, with just a hint of an Israeli accent. "You have done the best you could. And it was not your fault the Russian lost his nerve."

"I should have seen it coming." He said, shaking his head. He cursed. "Either way, I'm done. Deal or no deal, I've had enough monsters. I wanted revenge, but they showed me more mercy back there than whoever hired us."

Sarah smiled, "You don't mean that, you are a warrior."

He sighed, "A warrior, not a monster hunter."

The sound of an overhead plane interrupted their thoughts. The smoke coming from its tail dissipated as it descended on them. The smoke was sweet, but a little bitter.

Ross was perplexed. For a horrified second the thought hit him that they might be attempting to poison the enemy haphazardly, taking them with it. But this didn't smell like poison, it…

Sarah suddenly kissed him passionately, grasping his face with both hands. Too stunned to even push back, he let her hold it for several seconds, giving her a gaping look of surprise as she finally broke.

The woman smiled, and shook her head. "I am sorry; it is merely that I may not be able to give a kiss quite like that in a few moments. The time has come Ross. Embrace it, and I think you will find it easier."

He didn't have much time to ask questions before the first throws of pain hit. He bent over, clutching his chest. His heart was racing, he felt hot, burning. He tore off his clothes and gear in hope of some relief, but nothing could ease the pulsating pain that was shooting through him.

Barely able to comprehend his thoughts, he became aware of something pounding at the door of his mind, then crashing through. Pain gave way to horror as his thoughts seemed scrambled. He felt nothing of his changing form, only a general awareness that he seemed to be growing, his limbs lengthening, his chest deepening, his skull twisting.

But what frightened him were the sensations going through his thoughts. It was a numbing feel, like bits of him were being torn down like old wallpaper, piece by piece. Nothing he did, or thought, no internal scream could even slow the strange hand that filled his mind, rearranging it like clay.

Sometime later, the creature opened his eyes. They were large, hazel, surrounded by white fur that covered a long narrow muzzle and flowed down his deep chest and well toned underbelly, but turned pitch black from his brow, down his sculpted back all the way to his tail. The creature observed its hands. Large, powerful things, a claw tipping each digit, but dexterous enough to pick up and handle the gun he saw lying on the ground. He cocked it instinctively, then looked around. Colors and shades seemed a bit dull at first, yet somehow clearer. Sounds came in all around him, mostly grunting and moaning bodies, rising from sleep. But the smells…the smells filled the beast with intrigue. Beside him was a creature much like him, but about a head shorter, lither in build where he was broad shouldered and solid. A female, with raven fur, save a few brown diamonds on her back. A fine mate, he found himself thinking, when the time came. He gathered his thoughts. He was in a forest on an island.

The beast reflected on his body, still unfamiliar with how he moved it. Strangely, he had no doubt what he was. He was a wolf, or a creature much like a wolf. He did have the memories of another creature, named Ross, but that wasn't his identity. Thoughts of a mostly hairless creature Ross had cared for briefly touched his mind, Mary was it? But they stirred no emotion. It was data, like the knowledge he had to hold a weapon.

Suddenly a radio crackled to life. He picked it up, and a voice came through.

"Greetings my newborn warriors. I am Ras Al Ghul. I am your master."

The Demon, he thought. Somehow, he knew that name, that voice. He knew only one thing about him, he must be obeyed. To obey him was life. The thought of following his command filled him with a strange pleasure. He tried to respond, but his untrained mouth seemed unable to form words, only grunting.

"Gather yourselves together, assemble at these coordinates."

The numbers flashed by. Suddenly his mind was afire. The Demon had spoken. He must be obeyed. Nothing else in the world mattered to him. He and the creature he vaguely recalled as having come from a creature called Sarah began stirring awake the other wolves.


	28. Chapter 28

**Ch. 28**

Selina lead her escapees down the hall towards the weapons storage. "We load up, get some gear and move to the center to meet Tygrus and the others. Minerva put the building's lights out, so they should be making their move."

"Won't the weapons storage be guarded?" Leonard said as they quickly moved down the blackened corridor. Their eyes had no trouble seeing in the dark of course, but any guard would have a hard time of it, even with flashlights.

"It's a skeleton crew here. Almost their whole force is out there, trying to kill us. So we slipped away to take their base here!" She whispered back. "Still we'll be careful." The lion nodded back, his red mane bobbing slightly.

As if on cue, Selina raised a hand to stop them, the large group of padded bare feet behind her sliding to a halt. Footsteps echoed up ahead. "Crud, they're moving faster than I thought...let's take another route." This was risky, she hadn't been here in forever, she was relying on how well she recalled Tygrus' descriptions, but she was pretty sure...

Someone screamed. "Flashlights! They're-"

"Shut up!" She rebuked a worried calico. But too late. Off in the distance, the footsteps began to head their way.

"Go!" They shot down the way, many on all fours over the hard concrete as the shouts grew louder. They turned a corner, into a room and...

No.

No Exit.

She cursed herself. This was some sort of break room. "Quick, against the wall!" She ordered them all out of the line of fire as she took position outside against a wall. They would all be coming around the corner soon. She raised her ears high, counting the footsteps. 4, no 5 men, all with rifles. Now check the weapons belt...gone! It must have come loose as she ran. She was going to die. What's more, these people were going to die. Because she was stupid.

And yet, she felt a calmness sweep over her. Her mind focused with almost perfect clarity. The part of her that she had found in the forest...when she ambushed the soldiers, maybe that could save her. Save everyone. She listened, mentally placing them in the hall by the sound of their heavy boots as they came. Lowering herself to the floor, her legs and spine were a spring. Time seemed to slow. She bore her claws on every digit. The first guard would appear in 3 seconds. Her ears lay down against her head, her fangs gleamed as she opened her mouth, and an inhuman hiss came as she leapt forward, feeling glee at the look of terror on the guard's face.

* * *

Toward the main entrance, another battle was taking place. Dark as it was, the main hall roared with sound and horror. Feral rage and gun blasts echoed against the walls, along with cries of pain. They traveled down to the end of the lobby, where two mercs in full armor hugged the wall, and their weapons.

"Did you see them? They're using our weapons!"

"I know, look we have to-"

"We have to get out of here! This whole mission is a disaster."

"If we get out of this castle alive, then what? We're on an island!"

"We can get a boat by the docks."

"The fight is still-"

"The fight is a blood bath. I heard other guys have already bugged out. Those scientist *&%# have vanished. We leave now or we get left behind to get devoured by these things."

"We can't just leave our teammates!"

Sounds of the crunch of bone and spurt of blood echoed down the hall. They silently ran the opposite direction, taking cover in the cafeteria. They turned over a table and pointed their guns at the door.

"Okay...rear exit...that's...gosh...how are we going to get through all this?"

"Keep your head on Bill. They're animals, we're human. We can..." He coughed.

"Man...what's the smell in this place..." He coughed as well, then hunched over, grabbing his stomach. The other grabbed his chest, yelling in pain as he pulled off his gloves, then his vest. Their flesh was on fire.

In a few minutes there were no humans in the room. The radio clicked on with a buzz of static. "Welcome to your new life. We are abandoning the castle...for now. Leave and rejoin the rest of your new pack at the forest line. This is my command." The tall, powerful wolven men nodded to each other and sniffed the air as they cautiously opening the cafeteria door. The scent of the cats was almost visible. The path out was clear. They strapped their weapons on their fur covered backs and went to all fours, darting for the exit.

* * *

Batman and Batgirl ran down another hall toward the sound of gunfire, pausing briefly only to knock a guard unconscious and take his flashlight. The sounds came to an abrupt halt just before they turned the corner.

Batman stopped and stood, silent. Batgirl stood, wide eyed, whispering as she illuminated the scene with the flashlight. "Oh no."

Catwoman stood over her prey, wearing red over her hands and down her wrists like they were long gloves. 5 bodies lined the hall. Other cats were slowing coming up behind her, some looking shocked, others relieved. She raised her field of vision at the light, her emerald eyes dilated wide. Human scent...furless faces. Her lips reared back, her mouth impossibly wide, fangs born, a truly animalistic visage. She short forward claws out.

"Selina!" Batgirl shouted. Batman stayed perfectly still though, as Catwoman stopped right in front of him, her face relaxing slightly, her breaths deep. "Batman...I'm sorry..." She stepped back. "You're alive...that's good..." She managed to smile. "Not that I thought you were ever in danger, you being you," she joked, but then she looked at her paws, then up at him.

Batman reached forward to put a hand on her shoulder but she lightly pushed his hand away. "Cheetah and I met up with Tygrus and...well as you can see..." She took a deep breath. "Dorian has been making more cats. Tygrus, Cheetah, myself and some escapees came to free them."

Leonard came up behind her, seemingly dazed by the carnage at first, but after a moment of staring blankly at Catwoman, Batgirl and Batman, his eyes suddenly grew wide. "Wait...is that...Batman? What the heck is Batman doing here? Hey guys!" He walked back to the others. "Freakin Batman is here! We're saved!"

Catwoman paused, looking at Batman through the corner of her eye. Unreadable. All these senses and he was still horribly unreadable. "They were killing us Batman...hunting us one by one. We had to take the fight to them."

Batgirl spoke up, "Selina you don't have to..."

"I got to these people without any trouble but then we were trapped. I had to make a quick decision and I...cut loose." She just stood there. Here she was, like with cat kidnapping lady she had scarred years before...he had seen her violent, hateful side unleashed. But now...this...It was one thing for him to see her as a thief. She didn't care, she found his rigid morality charming. But for him to see her as a cold killer...

He simply shook his head. "I'm happy to see you alive Selina. Now let's move. You said you were working with Tygrus?"

"Yes, he planned this. We were going to meet up with him."

Catwoman suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, then turned her head, a smile come over her face. She shot down the hall and felt herself caught up in the air by two massive, blood soaked paws. Her enthusiastic growl matched his in greeting her. The response surprised her. Perhaps she was happy to get out of Batman's line of sight but...she was incredibly happy to see him again as well.

Several other cats followed behind them. Paul, the black leopard. Dawson, the aged gray cat and former vietnam vet. Leona, a giant of a siberian cat woman who'd killed as many as any of them so far. Townshend, a recently discharged army brat and cougar. Karen, an orange jaguar stood protective of her silver jaguar friend Mariah, as did the young panther Tom. Behind them came the two newly pregnant cats, the red spotted leopard Dorothy, by Paul, and the lynx Yolanda, by the late Hector. And finally the Dr. Sebastian Ballesteros, a cheetah brought up the rear, holding a pistol and first aid kit he had salvaged when they first entered.

Incredibly, they'd all made it. The few guards on duty had failed to kill even one of them. Some had wounds, Leona was shrugging off Ballesteros' attempts to mend her, but they were alive. They didn't seem phased by Selina's work. She suspected the scene was worse where they came from. Her heart swelled with pride. Despite everything...they, having not known each a few days ago, mostly not having these bodies a few days ago, had cut through the enemy humans again. Her eyes told Tygrus without saying it out loud. "We did it. _You_ did it."

Finally Tygrus set Selina down and approached Batman, Batgirl and the freed cats. Still wary of his gaze, Catwoman fought the urge to simply stand behind Tygrus and stood at his side. Fortunately Batman wasn't looking at her for the moment, but at Tygrus. His face was stone.

"Batman," Tygrus began, "I remember your prowess as a fighter. At least we are on the same side now?"

"I'm on the side of saving lives," He said flatly. "Not starting a war. I understand this attack was your idea."

"Batman..." Batgirl interrupted, "We just want to help save Dorian's victims with as little loss as possible. How do we get out?"

"Out?" Tygrus smiled, "No, we are here to take this castle from the enemy. That is our plan. Once we have this place secure, we can contact the mainland and your human police."

"Well that makes sense, right?" Batgirl looked back to Bruce.

He didn't acknowledge her, looking square at Tygrus. "I appreciate wanting to save people here and ask for help. But this was reckless. Had you waited, we might have found a way without losing so many lives."

Tygrus frowned, and seemed about to respond when Catwoman spoke up, "I told you Br-Batman! We were being murdered! They skinned us...left our hides out to see!" The sight of Hector's pelt flashed across her brain as she stepped in front of Tygrus. The fear of his gaze was suddenly gone. She didn't care about Bruce's judgment anymore. "Yeah, we did what we had to, not just for ourselves, but for all the people here and all over the island that were being tortured and killed. We couldn't just wait to be saved by you two while you were held up here. We didn't even know you were alive."

Her eyes narrowed, her face contorted back in a feline expression of primal anger. Her voice grew harsh, almost a whisper. "You know what..." something in her mind was...stirring. "They deserved it. I'd do it again. And again and again. I'm glad they're dead."

Batgirl stepped between her and Batman, "Selina, you're angry, not yourself, they were people. People that you had-"

She cut her off, "People? You mean humans?" Selina heard herself say. Where...where was this coming from? This sense of rage, it felt...freeing. To tell off that smug, self righteous...furless...face after all this time. "They're animals! What made them so special? Killing and torturing us for money? Those people," She pointed a bloody finger at her rescued group. "Want to hear what they've been through? What they did to them? Because they didn't see us as people. Just animals. Cats. Well we showed them what cats can do." She stepped forward, holding up a bloody hand, claws still borne. She wasn't ashamed of it. Not now. It represented several saved lives, right in front of her. Worth a lot more than the...human filth on the floor.

She pushed Batgril aside to get closer to Bruce. "You have a problem with this Batman?" She wiped her palm across her chest, leaving a smear of blood over her pelt. "Deal with it. This is our island now."

"That's my girl..."

They hadn't noticed Cheetah come up. Selina looked at her, confused. Before she could say anything more, Tygrus stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Enough Selina..." He looked to Batman. "Catwoman, like all of us, has been through much these past few days. But...she is right in this: We have fought for and earned this place. These are our people and we will do what we must to protect them."

Batman spoke up, "She isn't-"

"You are welcome to stay," he continued with a growl. "I will see to it that no one dies unnecessarily. But if the humans try to return, we will not show them mercy. Our survival is too important."

"Perhaps Dorian completed his work after all."

"Batman!" Batgirl shouted, "Can we not do this now? They're still guards out there."

"No...can't you smell it? Hear it?" Cheetah said, knowing full well Batgirl couldn't. "They're leaving."

The cats in the hall sniffed the air and nodded in agreement. "Yes...they are. Wait!" Tygrus said. He looked at Batman. "There is another scent in the air...strange. Do you smell it?" Everyone, including the humans nodded.

"Oh no..." It was a new voice. Dr Ballesteros bringing up the rear, pistol in claw. "That's the activating agent. Released in the air vents. They actually did it..."

Batman spoke up. "Who's he?"

Cheetah replied, "Used to work here," she snarked. "What's the situation Dr?"

He actually smiled at that, albeit briefly. "The hired security personnel were being prepped with a mutagenic agent that, upon completion could be activated by a final air born-"

Suddenly a gray wolf man in torn clothes was caught by the throat by Tygrus' hand, just inches from Sebastian's face. He lifted him off the ground, flailing, snarling loudly. After a quick glance at Batman, he slammed him against the wall, then wrapped the wolf into a sleeper hold. Despite the unusual anatomy to deal with, the pressure did its work and the wolf soon slumped to the floor.

"They turned the grunts into wolf men." He finished, his spots practically turning white.

Batman rushed to wolf. "Out cold. But alive."

"Why should you care, it's not human, right Selina?" Cheetah commented.

Neither Batman or Catwoman acknowledged her. "These clothes...this was the man we knocked out on the way here..."

"This is crazy..." Batgirl rubbed her temples.

Cheetah broke in, casually, "Dorian mentioned this." Now everyone paid attention. "I ran into him briefly as I shut off the power. Didn't explain exactly but he hinted as much. They're supposed to be for the guy who busted him out."

"Ra's al Ghul's personal army of dogs." Batman closed his fist tightly. "Take this one to a holding cell, I want to question him-"

"Tygrus is in charge here."

Once again Selina found herself surprised at what she said. "He led us here, his plan freed these people. We follow him."

"I would follow Batman."

Everybody looked back at Leonard, who was suddenly looking rather sheepish. "Nevermind."

Tygrus shrugged. "Well I agree with Batman's plan. He is free to question the wolf when he awakes. For now, Towshend, make sure all south exits are locked, Leona, take the north ones." The young cougar and Siberian tiger quickly took a team each. "Karen, Dawson, take these released cats to the infirmary where our cheetahs will look after them and anyone else."

"There is still another group of imprisoned cats..." Karen said, cocking her rifle. Tyrgrus nodded back. "The ones who were showing signs of mentally breaking, you said? I know. We will deal with them last. But only after this place is secure. After we see what can be done with them and wounded are taken care of, we will begin cleaning up the castle and restoring power."

Everyone went their own ways, even Batman and Batgirl, Leonard helping them carry the bound wolf. Batgirl looked back at Selina briefly, but not Batman. Alone, Tygrus put a bloody paw on Catwoman's shoulder. "Come with me." They moved away from the bodies into a different break room down the hall.

"Are you okay?"

She looked up at him, the question almost seemed funny. They were both covered in blood but...none of their own. "Yes..."

"Are you sure?"

"I..." she stared at her hands. "Tygrus I don't...when I went off on Batman, I didn't mean I liked killing those guards."

"Did you?"

His bluntness took her aback. "No!" She paused. "I mean...when it happened I just unleashed myself. Now that it's over..." She sighed in resignation. "I...think I might have. What they did, what they were going to do. I just feel so...glad I stopped them."

"I've seen what they are like more than you Selina. They would not have shown you mercy. They deserved none."

She shook her head, her voice desperate. "I don't want to become an animal."

"Oh?" he asked, taking her still wet hand by the wrist, examining it. "Animals and humans both defend their family Selina. And so do we."

She let Tygrus hold her hand a moment, unsure what he was doing. "We...us cats you mean. We are not human. I'm not human..."

"Were the guards human? What is so good about it?"

Selina thought. Now was an odd time for philosophy. "I mean, the love, the friendship humans have. It's having so much more to your life than just passing along your DNA and eating, like animals do."

Tygrus smiled. "I think, human or not, we are more than that. No?"

She nodded lightly, "Yes...I just...when I killed those...when I looked at Batman..." She looked up at Tygrus. "I saw him as...something other than me. Their furless faces, that human scent. Not feline. I feel like it was actually easier to kill those guards _because_ they were humans. And that scares me."

"Then you are not unlike those humans-"

"I don't want to be like them!"

"...except you would not kill any human who did not look to hurt you or another. Angry as you were at Batman, you would not hurt him? No."

Tygrus brought his own bloody hand up to her line of view. "We both have spilt blood we would not have chosen to. Batman may disagree, but I think you were right in what you said."

"You do..." She wasn't sure what to think of that.

"Yes. Selina, you and I, all of us, defeated the humans that would have slaughtered us. Destroyed our race. Is it so bad to be glad for it?"

He leaned into her ear, "And..." he whispered slowly, "You kill your prey beautifully."

He took her hand close to his mouth, and began to clean it with his tongue. She waited for her gut to be repulsed by it, but nothing came. He was savage. Wild. Yet intelligent. At once beast and person. Like her now.

Selina, the thought came to her again, Selina you are human. Under this body you are still a beautiful, smooth skinned woman. You came here to find a way to get your body back. Push him away. Like before.

She leaned into his ear.

You're Human.

"You kill even more beautifully."

HUMAN!

She took his hand and cleaned it herself.

human...

She brought her mouth to his, purring softly at the warm taste of the enemy on his muzzle.

...

It was if a voice pounding on the inside of her brain was finally dying. She felt whole, undivided. Releasing her hold on him, she wiped her mouth.

"Thank you Tygrus. For clearing my head."

"We will all need time to recover from this. But I am here Selina."

"I am too...then you think it's over?"

"We hold this castle. And we will not be so easily evicted, dog army or no. And once we get the electricity up we will be able to contact the mainland, as you said, they will have the men of law you so like to deal with."

"And us? What will you do with human authorities? I'm still wanted for thievery, and Cheetah to. Plus who knows what the government will do when it finds you?"

The cat lowered his ears. "I...I do not know. I will need your advice."

"We may need Batman's help. He knows quite a few people, plus other heroes, I'm sure they could work out something."

"Will he help us?"

"If it saves lives, yes."

Tygrus nodded, standing and lifting them both to their feet. Finally, Selina thought, made they could actually relax.

A large explosion nearly knocked them off their feet. "Selina, that was..." They both ran.

* * *

The Alpha male once known as Ross kneeled at the edge of the forest near the castle, the black male wolf once known as David, dark female once known as Sarah. He greeted his new packmates as they arrived, approaching a white furred female with blue eyes and black splotches. "Their radio is destroyed?" His voice growled, emerging from the back of his throat. Learning to speak with this mouth had taken some time, and it was still awkward for him.

She nodded, grunting and panting.

"Good, they will have no contact with anyone else. Go join your brothers and sisters at our camp. We await the Demon's command."


End file.
